Caught in a Web
by ZuTian
Summary: Yuzu is a greenhorn detective with the Tokyo Police Department. She's rash, emotional, stylish and utterly unfit for the job yet she won't back down despite getting entangled in one of the biggest cases to ever land on the police's lap.
1. Chapter 1: You're a Detective!

Disclaimer:

I do not own Citrus nor any of the characters in it. All rights belong respectfully to Saburo Uta.

"OKOGI!"

A blaring voice shot through Yuzu's ears as she walked into the police station. The blonde quickly looked for the origin of the voice only to find her superior officer, Yamada Goro, quickly approaching her. Goro was a tall man with the physique of a gorilla. His arms were bulging with muscles and he had that permanent scowl plastered on his face while his black hair streaked with grey slicked back in an authoritative manner, he looked intimidating, to say the least. it's no wonder that Yuzu almost instinctively shrieked when she noticed he was already towering over her.

Attempting to feigning ignorance despite knowing exactly why she's being called out so early in the morning. A weak smile stretched over her face as she attempts to subdue his bubbling anger. Not that it ever worked but she could at least try, right? Or so she thought.

"Good morning, Goro-senpai... what's the m-matter?" She muttered in a sheepish but cheerful voice, perfectly masking the shriek she had almost let out.

"How many times MUST I tell you NOT to wear these ridiculous accessories when you come to work?!"

He immediately snapped at the young blonde, anger pouring from every angle of his face as he pointed at her heart-shaped dangling earrings. Yuzu knew they weren't exactly part of the uniform and that she should know better than to wear something like this at work but she just couldn't help it. Every morning she renews her dedication to leave her "gyaru" side at home and every morning she fails to do exactly that.

For example, a couple of hours ago she swore that she would definitely come to work in nothing but the required uniform; No frills, no extras. Though as soon as she walked in front of the mirror, she couldn't help but notice how bland and "uncute" she looked. An hour after that realization, she had full make-up, beautiful nails, these wonderful earrings, and her blonde hair up in a bun with bangs falling on each side of her face. She was finally cute enough to leave the house.

"Let's not even get started on your dyed hair!"

Goro's fuming snapped her back to the current situation and she puts on the most determined look she could muster.

"Come on, Goro-senpai. It doesn't hurt anyone! Besides, I look cuter with blonde hair!"

Goro was always stern, he believed in the strictness of the police department and how every officer should follow the rules set for them in order to honor the respect they commanded from the public which they served and protected, however, he wasn't a bad person. In fact, Yuzu knew that her superior was probably internally kicking himself for letting that comment slip as his face contorted from a scowl to guilt, then a sigh.

"Well, whatever-" he said, brushing off the blonde's complete dress code violation along with her comments.

"We don't have time for this anyway. Come to the briefing room, there's been another one."

Yuzu blinked twice 'another one?' she thought to herself as she followed Goro into the briefing room.

"Goro-senpai, what do you mean by another one?" Yuzu asked as she tried to erase the gruesome thoughts that had started to rush into her mind.

"You know exactly what I mean, Okogi." Goro replied to her as he opened the door.

Scanning the crowd, Yuzu noticed her partner and best friend, Taniguchi Harumi or Harumin as she affectionately called her. The plum haired girl waved at her, hazel eyes bright with excitement as she motioned for Yuzu to occupy the empty seat right next to her. Despite being like two peas in a pod, Harumi actually followed the dress code and fancies calling herself a stealth gyaru in contrast to Yuzu's all out gyaru.

"Yo! Yuzucchi! Did Goro-senpai give you the usual morning lecture?" Harumi smiled and teased her.

"Is there a morning where he doesn't?" Yuzu pouts in reply.

"You could always just follow the dress code, you know? Stealth gyaru style!" Harumi giggles as she gives her a thumbs up.

Yuzu looks at her friend without even contemplating whether to dye her hair back to its original dark brown shade.

"No, thanks. I'll keep my hair, though the accessories I might be willing to consider."

"Atta girl, Yuzucchi!"

"Anyway, they've been whispering amongst themselves for a while now." Harumi comments as she crossed her arms in front of her. A sudden seriousness overcomes the excitement that burned in her eyes only a few seconds ago.

There was quite a bit of chatter going on around the room though there was an uneasy tension amongst those who spoke. Yuzu took note of this as she herself was feeling a little nervous with how Goro answered her last question. He was right, she knew exactly what he was talking about. She just didn't want to consider the possibility that they failed to protect another citizen.

The uncomfortable feeling sunk to her stomach as the warmth slowly left her fingers, leaving only a slight tremor and coldness as it did.

"Yuzucchi... are you all right?" Harumi inquired upon noticing the dread that was spreading on Yuzu's face.

"Hey, Harumin-"

"Good morning, everyone"

Yuzu immediately went quiet as a thundering voice pulled everyone's attention to its owner. The police chief was standing in front of the room, his grayed hair and powerful sky-blue eyes were fixed on a couple of documents that he was holding. On closer inspection, Yuzu noticed that he had dark rings under his eyes. Not that it wasn't unusual for the police chief considering how hard he worked, but even more so today... he looked like he didn't sleep at all.

"Let's begin." At the chief's command, the lights were turned off and the projector was fired up, becoming the sole source of light in the dimmed room.

"The victim's name is Oshio Eri. She's 18 years old, fresh out of high school. Her mother reported her missing 3 days ago." An oddly tactile click could be heard and the image of a teenage girl in her sailor uniform was shown on the screen.

The girl was posing playfully at the camera with a smile on her face while her right hand did that oh-so-popular peace sign. Yuzu kept this in mind, assuming that the girl looked like your average teenager who went to school, had fun and studied hard. She even thought that the girl reminded her of herself a bit, minus the studying hard, of course. Looking closely at the girl's face, she focused on her facial features: long lashes, pale skin and a gorgeous crown of raven hair which flowed all the way down to her waist. She was, by all accounts, a beautiful girl.

Yuzu lingered a bit longer on the photo as she mumbled to herself "Green eyes." Soon after, another tactile click could be heard, followed by the chief's voice.

"At 9 P.M. yesterday, we received a phone call from a distressed citizen at xx district. The caller complained of a horrible stench coming from the apartment right beside them. Upon dispatch to the said location..."

A short pause enveloped the room as another click rushed through the silence.

"This was found."

The room was filled with the sound of disgust and anger mixed together. Yuzu gulped down as she felt her stomach churning at the horrific sight that bathed her eyes. The mangled body of a girl, with her two hands, tied together and roped up to the ceiling as if she's some sort of armed teru teru bōzu considering how she was stark naked, easily showing off how pale the girl was compared to when she was alive.

This wasn't the first time Yuzu saw this, the girl was already the fourth victim which is why in her notes she referred to her as 'victim #4.' She knew her name very well, just like she knew the first three's names, she just preferred to call them this way; feeling like the most honorable thing she could do for them was to disassociate their mangled bodies from their names. Thinking 'They deserve to be remembered better.'

"Sick bastard... he took the eyes and tongue again." Harumi off-handedly mumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for Yuzu and a couple of their co-workers to hear.

"This is already the fourth one and we have nothing on the guy." She continued to blurt out.

"I understand that the department has been working hard on this case but we need to work harder." The chief continued speaking after the whispers died down.

"What have we got so far?" He asked in a tone which Yuzu could only comprehend as having a slight hint of desperation.

"Sorry, Chief. The bastard is a crafty son of a bitch. We've been combing the city up and down since the first murder but somehow he still manages to do it."

It was Goro who spoke just before looking down, seemingly disappointed in himself for letting the killer get away with another girl's life. No one criticized Goro for his lack of results, everyone understood that he worked on this case to the best of his abilities but the culprit was not letting up. He hasn't slipped at all, there was no evidence and despite the obvious sexual assault done to the victims, they were no closer to apprehending him. A loud sigh escaped from Goro before continuing.

"We know that so far he's only abducted women with black hair and this particular look about them." He motions as he pulls up the image of Oshio Eri and takes a second to look at the latest victim. There were vague emotions in his eyes, something that Yuzu could only describe as the in-between of anger and guilt.

"So far we've confirmed that all of the women were never tangled up in any shady business. They were all A students who worked hard, charismatic and held in high regard amongst their peers and family. They were also, as you've all noticed, fairly good looking." He then shifted his gaze towards the screen where the crime scene was shown.

"As for the crime... we know he always takes them to apartments in and around the city. These apartments are always low end with no security cameras. We have absolutely no idea what he looks like. He always takes the eyes and tongues of his victims, we assume he keeps them as trophies. We've also confirmed that all the victims have been sexually assaulted and the culprit made no attempt to hide this fact."

"What makes you say that, Yamada?" The chief asks with a puzzled look on his face.

"We have his semen sample. We just-" Goro became increasingly dejected and helpless as he spoke.

"We have no culprit to compare them to. We've already gone through the entire database and we couldn't match it with any known offender." He finally said after a long pause.

"Cheeky bastard." Said one of the officers inside the room and everyone quietly agreed with his sentiment.

Yuzu looked at the screen again, she knew this came with the job but the amount of disturbing dead bodies she'd been exposed to in the short amount of time she had been a part of the police force was unexpected. She could still feel the temporary loss of warmth as thoughts of the victims lingered in her mind. It was only because of Harumi's interruption that she was able to finally snap out of her daze.

"Do you know what they call him?" Harumi looks at Yuzu, completely aware of how fazed the blonde was at the moment.

"Yeah... Doll Maker." Yuzu shivered at the words that had just escaped her lips.

* * *

Notes:

Hello,

This is my first fanfiction and any feedback would be awesome. Criticism, in particular, is very welcome.

I'm very enamored by crime stories and I thought it would be an interesting idea to throw Yuzu at a job which doesn't suit her very much but she chose to enter for her own reasons. It might be a bit grim at times but I'd probably also add some light-hearted material most of the time. After all, it's not much of a Yuzu if she can't be a bubbling cocktail of sunshine and happiness.

Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2: A Fated Meeting

The meeting had gone on for a couple of hours and by the time it ended, everyone in the room was either disgusted, frustrated, angry or like Yuzu, a mixture of the three. She was never the most patient person and had always seen herself as more of a doer than a thinker and the only thing she wanted to do was to go out there and start looking for this sick bastard.

"That's all for today. Please let me know if we get any new leads or development." The chief stated as he began organizing the notes he had been writing.

Everyone started flocking out of the room except for Goro, who was busy reading some documents and looking through the images from the crime scenes. Yuzu and Harumi got up from their seats and approached their senior who was too preoccupied to notice their presence.

"Goro-senpai, it's already lunch." Harumi looked at the older man who was in clear distress.

"In a minute, Taniguchi. You and Okogi can head out first." Answered the senior detective as he waves them away.

"Okay, we'll see you later them Goro-senpai." Yuzu smiles and waves at Goro who simply nods in reply.

The two girls make their way towards the exit, giving a slight bow to the police chief along the way.

"Okogi, Taniguchi, congratulations on the promotion. I'm sorry that you two have to deal with something on this scale so soon" He speaks apologetically towards the two.

"Thank you, chief." The two answer in unison.

"It's no one's fault, sir. You don't have to apologize." Continues Harumi.

"Yeah... the circumstances might be bad but if anything, we'll do our best!" Yuzu exclaims with fervent determination.

The chief looked at his new detectives and felt a bit of relief when he saw how determined the youngsters were. When the two first came from the academy, he wasn't sure how in the world these two got through training. Taniguchi Harumi is from a somewhat prestigious family, hailing from a business background but at least he knew there was a vague determination in the plum-haired girl's career choice when she started taking her training seriously near the end.

Yuzu, on the other hand, was more interested in fashion, boys and all the things a woman would love. The chief knew the blonde's father, Okogi Kyou, he was a lot like his daughter and always stood for what was right and good in the world. He and his fellow detectives would often laugh at how Kyou would literally donate his own kidneys if someone were to ask for them, a trait that Yuzu inherited from her late father.

He never would've imagined that Yuzu would choose this career considering it was the same job that took her father from her, not to mention her mother's adamant refusal to allow her into the police force and yet here she was standing proudly as if she was born to be here. Seeing Yuzu now was like seeing Kyou all those years ago and it brought a smile to the elder's face.

"That's good to hear but you two won't be on the front line for this case." He bluntly answered with a smile on his face.

"But!-" Yuzu's attempts to argue were quickly dismissed.

"No buts, Okogi. We'll give you a related assignment, don't worry."

"I will inform Captain Yamada and he will brief you on it later, got it?" Bright blue eyes stared at the two girls as the chief waited for them to acknowledge his order.

"Yes, sir." The two release a loud sigh, clearly unhappy that they were on the sidelines of the case.

The chief could see how disappointed the two were in his decision but there was no way he'd let them be part of the main group trying to solve this horrendous crime. He couldn't do that to two greenhorns who just started their lives... cases like this one can get to even the most seasoned detectives and he wasn't willing to mentally break these two when they still had a lot of living ahead of them. The time would come when they'll have to toughen themselves up, but there was no need to rush.

"Ah, one more thing. The little devil is waiting for you down at the surveillance department. Don't keep her waiting, you know how she gets."

"Little devil?" Asks Harumi while furrowing her brow as she tries to match the nickname with a face.

"Matsuri, Harumin." Yuzu pats her best friend's shoulder as she answers the question.

"Oh right, that little twerp. We'll be off then chief, have a good day!"

The two excused themselves from the room and made their way to the surveillance department a couple of floors up. They entered the room and were immediately met with a crime in progress, which is the only way you could describe how the pink-haired Misuzawa Matsuri was currently tying down her co-worker Nomura Nene to a chair while she frisks the older girl for her mobile phone.

"Matsuri..." Yuzu was the first to break the silence, "What are you doing to Nene?"

"Confiscating her mobile, obviously." Matsuri didn't even bother to look up as she continued to look for the gadget in question.

"And why would you do that, exactly?" Harumi asked as she watched Nene struggle to get out of the bindings.

"Yuzu-senpai, Taniguchi-senpai, help me!" The young raven haired girl cried out for help, looking more and more desperate to rid herself of the makeshift binds made out of mice and keyboards with a couple of other wires thrown in.

"Ah, here it is." Matsuri stood up and kicked the chair away, causing a panicked Nene to slide over to the other side of the room.

"I'm taking it so I can delete all these stupid things she keeps on writing every day. I'm supposed to be slacking but she slacks even more than I do!" Matsuri exclaimed in sheer annoyance before giving Nene a death glare.

"Eh, what's so bad that it gets to your nerves?" Harumi slid over to Matsuri's side, reading bits of texts as they were mercilessly deleted.

"If you're so interested then how about I read them to you?" Matsuri immediately scrolled through the many text documents stored on Nene's phone. She then chose a particularly long document and read it out loud.

"It was then that Harumi tells Yuzu 'You are the love of my life and I will always be here no matter what!', Yuzu cries and wraps her arms around Harumi before planting a deep and sensual kiss on the taller girl and then they-"

"Okay, I get it! Stop reading now." Harumi immediately took the phone from Matsuri and deleted the documents herself, uncaring of the anguished wails that Nene howled at her.

"But Taniguchi-senpai!" Nene protested, still bound to the chair and unable to do anything.

Meanwhile, Yuzu just watched them and giggled at the sight. Her job might be dangerous and depressing at times but seeing her friends as they are now was enough to make her think she belonged here and that she made the right choice.

After deleting all of Nene's fanfics, the four headed out to grab a late lunch at a nearby cafe called Café au lait. The place looked like your typical Japanese style cafe; A long island counter sat on the right and a few diner-styled seating were neatly lined up on the left side. The wooden floors creaked as the girls made their way in, alerting the owner of their presence.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Late lunch?" The man with glasses inquired with a smile.

"Yes, manager. We got held up because someone was making trouble." Matsuri shoots a glare at Nene who flinches while averting her gaze.

"Matsuri-chan, you're as lively as always. Will you be having the usual?" He asks as he looks around the room, meeting each girls' eye.

"Uh, I'll have curry today." Yuzu answered after a minute of careful deliberation.

"A bowl of ramen for me." Harumi chimed in without a second's hesitation.

"The usual parfait for me." Matsuri, as usual, didn't even bother to stay at the counter long enough to finish her sentence and by the time she said 'parfait,' she was already comfortably seated at their usual spot.

"I'll have curry as well, thank you." Nene answered a minute later than the rest of the group.

The manager nodded as he took their order and Yuzu gave him her signature smile before the three joined Matsuri at the table.

"Yuzucchi, what do you think about the manager?" Harumi looked at Yuzu with a smirk on her face.

"What do I think of him? Hmmm..." Yuzu trailed off as she thought about the question.

The manager had dark brown hair which was only a couple of shades away from being black. His hair, while not half bad, would always be kept somewhat messy with his bangs falling to the front of his face, covering his equally dark brown eyes which were partly hidden by his thick-rimmed glasses. He was decent looking and he was a nice guy, well-mannered and polite towards everyone. Albeit a bit quiet.

"Well, he's nice and I like him!" Yuzu exclaimed with a grin on her face.

"She's asking if you like him enough to date him, Yuzu-chan." Matsuri deadpans at Yuzu, clearly poking fun at how oblivious she was.

"Oh, well. I don't know. That's kind of too sudden to ask, I guess?" She sheepishly smiled at her friends, feeling a little embarrassed over the question and how she missed the meaning behind it.

"That's okay, Yuzu-chan is mine anyways." Matsuri smirked at Harumi who just sighed at the younger girl's confident statement.

When the food arrived the girls ate and continued to share stories about how their days went or what they had planned for the weekend. Yuzu and Harumi told the younger two about the case, but carefully left out details that would either make them lose their appetite or were confidential.

Yuzu was busy laughing at the joke Harumi just finished telling when she spotted a curtain of long raven hair passing through the front of the cafe. The woman was tall, around Harumi's height but what really got her mesmerized was how this person walked so gracefully, her short-sleeved white button-up shirt tucked into a long black skirt which was softly flowing with the wind.

"Lover's quarrel? How annoying." Harumi's comment snapped Yuzu out of her daze and she noticed that a man was tailing the raven-haired woman, plus it seemed like they were in an argument. If anything, the woman was speaking but Yuzu couldn't hear a single word she said.

"Come on, Let's just talk about this!" The man seemed like he was reaching his boiling point but tried hard to fake a smile. In contrast to the woman, she could hear him loud and clear, which was expected since he _was_ shouting.

The woman replied again and Yuzu gazed at the man, he had light brown hair and similarly colored eyes. He wore a suit which meant he was probably from the working class and was fairly tall on top of being good-looking. On any other day, Yuzu would have drooled over this guy, but after she saw him seething with anger as he pulled on the poor woman's wrist, all thoughts flew out the window and she just had to intervene.

Quickly getting from point A to point B, Yuzu grabbed the man's arm and attempted to stop him from causing further harm.

"I don't know what's happening but she clearly doesn't want to go with you." She said while eyeing the handsome man.

"This is none of your business!" He shouts at her, clearly bothered by the interruption but not letting go of the woman.

Yuzu looked at the raven-haired woman, seeing her from afar was nothing like seeing her from up close. If fairy tales were true, you could say she looked like a real-life princess straight out of those books she had read as a child. The woman's eyes were a beautiful shade of amethyst all the while looking as cold and hard as an actual gem.

"Let go." The woman commanded her attacker with a voice that was calm and poised but laced with an unsettling chill.

"Not until we talk!" The man was obviously failing to keep his anger in check which was evident when the girl momentarily released her emotionless gaze and flinched in pain at his grip.

"Hey, you're hurting her!" At this point, Yuzu chose the best course of action and applied pressure on the man's shoulder which caused him to release his hold on the woman.

The man was obviously unhappy with her interference and in rage, decided to teach her a lesson for messing with him. Quickly regaining his stance, the man lunged at Yuzu with his fist going straight for her face. The raven-haired woman watched the events unfold, unmoving and completely frozen in place.

* * *

Notes:

Hello,

Thank you for leaving reviews. I'm glad a lot of people liked this and I'm sorry that it's somewhat of a slow burn but at least Mei already made an appearance!

Also, no, Mei will not be a target at least for a little while but I think everyone already has a rough idea that she would eventually be one.

I made some changes to the chapter because I felt like it was a bit lacking.

Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3: The Girl with Indigo Eyes

Matsuri and Nene dropped their food and quickly bolted for the door at the first sight of trouble brewing. At this point, the man was only a few milliseconds away from landing a clean hit on Yuzu and the two knew they would never make it in time to stop him. They just hoped they would be there to prevent him from doing further harm to blonde idiot.

"Yuzu-chan!" Shouted the pink haired girl in exhilaration but Harumi just chuckled in her seat, not even bothering to get up.

Looking at her opponent's position, Yuzu quickly analyzes her situation and it was a fact that she could never win against him in a straight power struggle. Deciding to use his momentum against him, she swiftly dodges his punch and kicks his shin, causing the man to fall on his face in embarrassment.

"Sir, you're under arrest for assault and attempting to harm an officer of the law." The blonde read him his rights as she pulls out a pair of handcuffs, she noticed a familiar black skirt nearby and remembered that the woman was still standing there.

"Miss, do you want to press charges?" Directing a question to the raven-haired woman as she points towards the man who was still on the floor with a bleeding nose, only to be interupted by a certain duo who had just sprung out the door. Matsuri was all over Yuzu and examining her for any injuries with utmost care as she eyed every inch of the blonde.

Yuzu appreciated the pink haired girl's concern and made sure to let her know that no harm had been done... at least to her. "I'm fine! I'm tougher than I look, okay?" She beamed at them like a proud mama bear that had successfully fended for her cubs before finally returning her attention to the raven-haired woman.

After a few moments, the woman snapped out of her daze, took a few loose strands of hair and tucked it behind her ears in an attempt to recompose herself. She looks directly at the blonde, eyes cold and observantly looking from head to toe before redirecting her gaze at the man on the floor.

"No."

"Are you sure?" The blonde with surprise.

"Yes."

"Well, I guess I'll let you off then but don't let me catch you making trouble again!"

"You heard 'em." Harumi, having just exited the cafe, pulls the man up on his feet and sends him away as he cursed under his breath and took glances back at the raven-haired woman who looked like she had already forgotten or was never involved in what happened.

"Amemiya, do not come near me again." The raven-haired girl spoke loud enough to catch the man's attention as he continued walking away.

Yuzu looked at the woman's wrist with a slight hint of concern as she noticed redness and a faint blue spreading across where the man had grabbed it too aggressively not too long ago.

"Are you okay? We can have it looked at if you want and then we can take you home, just to be sure." The blonde beamed at the raven-haired girl as she attempted to assess the woman's mental state. 'She must be scared' she thought to herself.

"Neither of those will be necessary." The woman begins to walk away without another word but stops only a few steps away and turns around to face the four who were still standing in place.

"and thank you but you should not have gotten involved." She looks at the blonde for a moment before she leaving.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT" Yuzu was utterly fuming at the words spouted at her by the raven-haired girl. Sure, she thanked her but it was almost like she was calling the blonde a bother. 'Well excuse me for helping a damsel in distress!' she thought to herself as she continued making angry faces at the girl who was already out of view.

"Oh wow. That was harsh." Matsuri commented as Harumi took the liberty to playfully pet the blonde's back. "The important thing is that I helped!" Yuzu tried to reaffirm herself while Nene took photos for her new "HaruYuzu" folder.

"Yuzu-cchi, calm down. You did well!" Harumi was now petting the blonde's head who was still protesting. "I was just worried!" Yuzu yelled out.

"Sure you are, stop cheating on me Yuzu-chan." Interjected the pink haired girl who decided to mess with the blonde as she pretended to be heartbroken.

"Stop it, Matsuri! You're gonna give people the wrong idea."

"Now you consider our relationship the 'wrong idea'? My heart has been utterly shattered." Matsuri was now clinging onto Harumi as she continued teasing the blonde.

"More importantly, what did you want to tell us? The chief said you called for us." Yuzu spoke as the plum haired girl tried her best to pry Matsuri off of her arm.

"Ah! A couple of footages were sent in by the establishments that you and Taniguchi-senpai visited a few months ago. There was a girl who matched the description of the second victim, Akiyama Asami. We've already verified that it's her, so I wanted to let you two know."

"Where was it?"

"District XX, around 30 minutes away from where her body was found, it's also in close proximity to her school, Aihara Academy."

Both Yuzu and Harumi perked up at the mention of the elite school. For Harumi, it was a memory she would've preferred to forget. Growing up in an elite family meant that she had to go to a school which was prestigious enough to boast about and while she had been lucky enough to study at a normal school for the first few years of her life, that all ended when she was enrolled in Aihara Academy during high school.

Yuzu, on the other hand, had never been to this elite school, after all, she wasn't a lady from a rich family nor did she ever want to be. She grew up in a modest but caring home where she never had to worry about manners, business or even getting good grades, hence there was no real reason why she should be paying attention to this school's name but she couldn't get it out of her mind.

The feeling of familiarity with the name made the blonde unconsciously take out her case diary and rummage through the pages like a madman. She read all the notes she had taken and carefully scanned for the name until she found it under Oshio Eri's entry.

"Harumin... that's the school that Oshio Eri had supposedly visited the day she disappeared. We need to tell Goro-senpai."

"Great because I just received a message from him. He wants us at his desk ASAP." the blonde looked at the Harumi and nodded in agreement as the four walked back to the station.

When they arrived, the four parted ways; Nene and Matsuri headed back to their office while Yuzu and Harumi made their way to Goro's desk. There was a familiar strong scent of coffee in the air as police officers and detectives worked their asses off in solving everything that was wrong in the city. Ranging from petty theft to crimes of a more heinous nature, like the one the two girls were currently working on.

"Taniguchi, Okogi. What took you two so long?" Goro looked up from his desk with a disapproving look on his face as he eyed the two troublemakers who had just arrived.

"We ran into some trouble on our way back from lunch but Yuzu-cchi took care of it in a flash." Harumi gave Yuzu a proud look before placing her attention back on their senior.

"Just some idiot who doesn't know how to accept it when they get dumped. It's too bad, he was pretty handsome. I would've asked for his number." Yuzu let out a sigh as she remembered the how tall and handsome the man called Amemiya was.

"Okogi, just when I start having a bit more respect for you, you decide to blurt out the dumbest things."

"Goro-senpai... that's so mean! and here we had something to tell you!" The blonde pouted as she threw tantrums at Goro.

"What is it?"

"Well, Matsuri told us that they got the footage from the establishments we spoke to a few months ago and they confirmed Akiyama Asami was in XX district on the day she disappeared, plus Oshio Eri supposedly was within the same vicinity as well," Harumi answered the man's question.

"So, Matsuri mentioned that Akiyama Asami attended Aihara Academy and I checked my notes and found out that-" Yuzu continued off where Harumi left off but was quickly interrupted by Goro.

"Oshio Eri was supposed to visit that academy. Good job, Okogi, Taniguchi. This is good, it ties well with your new assignment." Goro trailed off as a hint of pride flashed on his face for a second, his thick eyebrows and stern eyes relaxed a bit before returning to his signature scowl.

"Now, the chief does not want you two involved in this directly, so he gave you two an assignment that only you can do."

"No offense Goro-senpai but that sounds like something you say to people who are in the way." The blonde snapped at her senior with a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"Not at all, you two are enrolling in Aihara Academy."

Yuzu and Harumi looked at each other, then to Goro and back at each other. The blonde, in particular, was trying to find out if their senior was serious or joking around, there was no way he's serious after all, right? Except he looked dead serious.

"You're joking, right?" Harumi finally broke the silence as the blonde continued staring off into deep space, unable to comprehend the situation.

Goro didn't answer and got up and approached a board that stood a few feet away from his desk and motioned the girls to follow him. On the board was a map of Tokyo and pictures of four girls whom the two recognized as Doll Maker's victims. On the photos were pushpins with a red yarn attached to them, which in turn were also connected to more pushpins around the map.

"Now, obviously we knew that these girls were being taken in and around the XX district of Tokyo. We previously established that the third victim, Hashimoto Saki, part-timed in a cafe frequented by students of the Aihara Academy and the fourth victim, Oshio Eri was slated to enroll there in the coming semester."

"The chief decided that we needed to get someone into that school and investigate it from the inside, get to know the campus and what goes on in there and the like and who better to send there than you two. With this new connection, it only makes it more likely that we're going to find something there."

"We don't know if it has anything to do with the school yet but this is definitely Doll Maker's hunting spot and we need to get something-anything before he strikes again. As the police, we can't really just go in and question everyone in that school who may be related but the two of you might be able to pry off information that circulates within the student body."

Yuzu was intently listening to Goro as he explained what they needed to do and why they needed to do it. She nodded and kept on nodding at everything her senior said so when Goro finally dismissed them, Harumi was stuck with dragging a barely breathing corpse through the hallway of the police station.

"Say Yuzu-cchi, grandma's asking if you want to have dinner with us tonight. She hasn't seen you in a while, so... how about it?" Harumi propped the blonde up on one of the chairs outside the office while attempting to resuscitate the blonde with promises of food.

"Oh, yeah... I'm kind of starving and Mama isn't coming home tonight anyway. Sure!"

The two walked towards the Taniguchi residence which was only a couple of blocks away from the precinct which was extremely convenient. Yuzu often stayed over with Harumi when they first started working but since Harumi's older sister came back from America, she decided to avoid staying as the older Taniguchi was a bit too scary for her.

"Harumin," The blonde looked at her friend with determination burning in her eyes. "I really want to catch this guy." Harumi knew that her friend was passionate, she had always been that way.

"I know, Yuzu-cchi. We'll get him."

"But Harumin...Why do I have to go back to schooooool?! NOOOOO!" The blonde lividly protested as she was ushered by her friend into the house.

"Shhh! Yuzu-cchi, keep it down. Nee-san is home today."

"Harumin, I barely survived high school and the police academy!" Yuzu was visibly crying at this point, Harumi couldn't help but laugh at how immature her friend was being at the moment.

"There, there. Mama Harumin will make school enjoyable for you" Harumi teasingly wrapped her arms around the crying blonde as she pets the crying girl's head.

"By the way, you looked zoned out. Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. It's just that girl earlier. I felt like I've seen her before but I can't put my finger on it." Yuzu stared at her friend who seemed to have gone into deep thought again. It was evident in her face that she was really trying to remember the girl but the thought was cut short when a voice called out to the duo.

"Harumi? Is that Okogi?" A woman with short hair emerged from the dining room. If it wasn't for the sharper eyes and the formal way of dressing, Yuzu would easily mistake her for Harumi.

"Mitsuko-san, good evening" Yuzu bowed politely at the older woman.

"Nee-san, I'm home." Harumi greeted as well when she noticed her older sister approach them.

"Dinner's ready, the two of you got here just in time."

The trio made their way to the dining room and Yuzu greeted the elder Taniguchi before sitting down beside Harumi and happily chatting with the Taniguchis while they ate. When dinner was over, Yuzu helped Harumi clean the table and wash the dishes before sitting down with her and Mitsuko who had started drinking tea in the living room.

"Harumi, do you remember Aihara Mei?" Mitsuko was looking over some documents as she directed the question at her younger sister.

"Hmm... Prez?" Harumi answered after thinking about it for a few seconds and the blonde just stared at the two, not knowing who they were talking about.

"Yes, I heard she had just returned to Japan a few days ago. I will most likely be catching up with her and Momokino tomorrow, would you like to come?"

"No way, I never even spoke to them."

"Ah!" The younger Taniguchi went running towards a stack of albums stashed under their TV rack and returned holding an album adorned with little ducks printed on a light blue cover, she then starts browsing through the images before passing the album over to the confused blonde.

"See anyone you recognize?" The plum haired girl looked amused as Yuzu took the album and started scanning the image of what seems to be a class photo. She immediately recognizes Harumi who pretty much looks the same then as she does now but other than that, there was no one else she knew.

"Harumin... I don't know any of-" She looked closer at the image to try and get a closer look at one of the taller girls in the group. She had long black hair which fell on each side of her slender face and bangs that were just about long enough to reach her eyes.

The girl had eyes that were a darker shade of amethyst, a color which was very uncommon to find anywhere in the world and yet this was the second time she was seeing it today. That's when it hit her.

"She's that rude girl from earlier!" The blonde excitedly claimed.

"Her name is Aihara Mei, the heiress to the Aihara name which owns Aihara Academy."

The blonde looked back at the photo while furrowing her eyebrows. After a few seconds, her face softened and she let out a giggle.

"What are you giggling about, did you find something funny?" Asked Harumi when she noticed Yuzu giggling at her high school photos.

"Nothing. I just thought her surname matched her eyes pretty well."

* * *

Notes:

Thanks to everyone who's reading this! Mei is not going to make a proper appearance until the next chapter or two, please don't hate me for it.


	4. Chapter 4: Ice in Our Veins

Yuzu groaned in exhaustion as she entered her family home, the clock was ticking closer to 12 midnight and she thoroughly regretted getting involved with the Taniguchi siblings' conversation regarding their respective experiences at Aihara Academy's high school division. If the blonde was completely honest, she found their actual experiences pretty normal and sort of boring compared to her idea of a high school life. 'What's high school without love and mixers?' she thought.

Fortunately, they also gave her what she wanted to hear, even if she wouldn't admit to it at all and she didn't even know why she was so interested in it. That "it" being the human being called Aihara Mei. How it's possible for two people, much less sisters to have such differing opinions about one person was beyond Yuzu.

On one hand, Mitsuko swears that the Aihara heiress is the epitome of grace and wit, the embodiment of a capable leader. On Harumi's side, she's evil incarnate and hell-bent on turning everyone into her slaves without exemption. There was one thing they both agreed on and that was this young raven-haired woman is always apex predator and never the prey.

Swatting the thoughts away from her mind, the blonde dragged her tired body over to the bathroom and started to remove her police uniform, this was, after all, the last time she would have to wear it. Goro had given specific instructions that from tomorrow onwards she and Harumi would be wearing civilian clothes like proper university students, causing the blonde to squeal in excitement.

When she finished removing her uniform and dumping them into the laundry bin, she looked at the mirror and smiled at the ring that dangled in front of her chest. The trinket in view was a ring which had a simple rose gold band all the way until about a quarter to the top, it then explodes into an elaborate design which Yuzu always thought were like tiny leaves spreading out from the beautiful amethyst embedded at the center.

She took off the chain which was holding the ring in place and set it aside before submerging herself in the tub. The ring was an heirloom from her father and she had always kept it close to her heart.

"Thanks again for today," she whispered to the trinket which had become a symbol of good luck and protection for her. The amethyst reminded her of Aihara Mei and she drifted into thoughts of how they might end up getting along. After all, she had eyes the same color as Yuzu's lucky charm, that had to mean something right?

After her bath, Yuzu made her way across the dark apartment hallway and into her bedroom. She pulled on a loose-fitting white sweater and a pair of shorts before retiring for the day. There was a lot to do tomorrow but it couldn't hurt to go over her case diary before drifting off to sleep.

The regret hit hard the next day as she woke up looking like a certain world-class detective from a manga she read years ago. The bags under her eyes were so dark that she wished she could stay at home and sleep some more instead of going to work but that wasn't an option, so she chose her outfit and headed out.

"Oh wow, Yuzu-chan... you look like crap." 'If only the bags made me a better detective.' Ground Yuzu internally. Matsuri wasn't making it any easier either, the younger girl had been clinging to the blonde all morning and was draining any remaining energy Yuzu had.

"I didn't get enough sleep." she answered as the pink haired girl looked at the blonde's face and let out a loud sigh, "Did Taniguchi-senpai keep you up again?"

"Something like that, I guess. There's also the morning commute and I kinda went overboard reviewing the case."

"You can't keep doing this, Yuzu-chan. Why don't you just live with me?" Matsuri's family lived 10 minutes away from the station and the pink haired girl had often insisted that her self-proclaimed older sister should just stay with them instead of commuting all the way from her hometown to Tokyo.

"I can't do that, Matsuri. Mama would be sad if she had to live alone."

"Auntie Ume can stay too, of course."

"No way, that's too much of a bother for your family."

"But I'm saying that it's not an iss- OW!" A smack suddenly hit the pink haired girl on the head and the youngster gave a deathly glare at whoever dared to touch her head. Yuzu laughed at the sight of Harumi looking just as annoyed as Matsuri did.

"Stop bothering her about this, you've asked her a thousand times!" The plum haired girl fumed.

"And I can ask a thousand more!"

The two then engaged at a staring contest where the only way to win was if one of them ended up falling asleep before the other and this wasn't exactly something Yuzu had planned on spending the rest of the day watching.

"Well, Mama did say that after this project she would ask to be relocated to Tokyo. So, there's that. Don't worry too much, Matsuri." The blonde gave a soft pat on the younger girl's head which caused the latter to be startled.

"Thank you for worrying about me." Yuzu smiled at Matsuri who sported a blush on her face when her efforts were recognized and appreciated.

"Ah, whatever. I'm gonna go help Nene." The younger girl then made her exit and paced towards the elevator in hopes of hiding her embarrassment from the affection she had received from the blonde.

"Yuzu-cchi, Goro-senpai wants us to meet him in 10 minutes. We're getting the briefing and official documentation for our enrollment at Aihara Academy. He promised we could at least choose the course we want so don't worry too much about it and besides, we're undercover! We don't need to study!"

Harumi gave her best friend/partner a thumbs up before dragging the blonde towards their superior's desk. Yuzu was feeling a little terrified, not only did she have to go back to school and one that was made for elites, she also absent-mindedly wore a super frilly skirt and an uber gyaru top to work. She could already hear Goro grinding his teeth in anger.

When the duo arrived at Goro's desk, he did as was expected and scolded Yuzu for her choice of attire which made sense since he cited how short Yuzu's skirt was and how it would be impossible to work in her current attire. Once the scolding ended, they proceeded with the briefing which they had already discussed the day before; it was simple, get information and find witnesses.

Finally, Goro handed them a few documents that finalized their enrollment at Aihara Academy and in turn, the two informed their superior regarding the run-in with the Aihara heiress.

"You don't have to worry about that, the school's chairman is aware of you two." He assured the duo who were worried they might have accidentally compromised the mission. "His granddaughter, Aihara Mei, will also be attending the school, she's currently in her last year and we'll make sure she's also informed of what's happening but not a word to anyone else."

The two nodded in response and the three finalized all of the details before Goro released them for the day. There were a couple more things that they were required to do, one of which was that they would not be coming near the police station at any given time after today. It wasn't so bad but of course, Matsuri and Nene were obviously distraught at the news.

There was another week left before the semester officially started which meant that Harumi and Yuzu had some time to relax and pick-up on some studies before they had to go in and work undercover. Matsuri and Nene also took this opportunity to spend as much time as possible with the two before they got whisked away.

Meanwhile, at the Aihara residence, Mei made her way to the upper floors and towards her grandfather's study. Inside the office was an old man who was sitting quietly on a particularly large executive chair which was slated in front of an even larger desk completely occupied with stacks of important documents.

"You called for me, grandfather?" The raven-haired girl called out to the man who lifted his head up and acknowledged the younger Aihara's presence. "Yes, there is a matter we must discuss. But before that, have you finished preparations for your schooling here?"

"Yes, grandfather." She answered as the older man nodded in response. "I'm sorry that you had to return to Japan when you were already in your last year of university. If I hadn't chosen that scum, Amemiya, as your suitor and if my health had not been failing, then this wouldn't have happened."

The old man turned his attention to the stacks of paper in front of him and continued reading and signing documents after he finished speaking. This was something Mei had grown accustomed to since a young age. Her parents had divorced when she was 8 and this had been her life ever since. This was what it meant to be an Aihara. Emotions and warmth were a foreign concept to the family.

"Not at all grandfather, this is also my duty as an Aihara." Her answer was quick and stoic. If there was ever anything that Mei felt from her grandfather it was that he was without a doubt proud of her, even if there was nothing else. "That's good to hear. We're very lucky to have you, Mei. I'm sure that when I'm gone, I can happily leave the Aihara name in your capable hands. Your father feels the same way."

"I'm honored to receive such praises, grandfather." A cough rang through the dead silence of the study, Mei looked on curiously at her grandfather but he waved her away. "I'm fine, don't worry. My old bones won't give out yet."

"Now, about the matter, we must discuss. You are aware of the recent murders in Tokyo, correct?"

"Yes, I've seen them on the news while I was in Europe and also on the newspapers when I arrived here."

"Good, you're never one to disappoint. Now, the police have asked for our assistance in the matter."

Mei was confused with what she had just heard, they ran a school, why would the police want their help in a murder of this scale?

"You don't have to look like that. It's just that they presented some evidence relating to the area of which the killer operates and they thought it would be best to slip in a couple of detectives within the school. It benefits them because they get information and it benefits us because we are promised the utmost safety for our students."

"I see, that does make sense."

The older Aihara pushed two folders towards Mei and urged her to read what was inside of them, the raven-haired girl obliged and carefully examined the first one which she immediately recognized as the younger sister of Taniguchi Mitsuko, her predecessor as the student council president in high school.

"One of them is a former student of ours back when we were just starting to build our university department. I believe you are acquainted with her."

"Yes, she was my classmate during high school for 3 years."

"I see, and the other one..." The old man stayed quiet while the raven-haired girl opened the folder and read the name of the second detective who was to join Taniguchi Harumi, the name was not familiar to her 'Okogi Yuzu, what a peculiar name.' She continued to scan the piece of paper in front of her until she noticed a small photograph attached on the side.

"That one looks a bit troublesome, I had tried to argue with the chief of police considering his choice on this Okogi Yuzu but he was adamant that she's a fine student and the only other person capable of fitting in. What do you think?"

Mei was surprised at seeing the photo of a blonde girl with her bright green eyes and infectious smile, she instantly recognized the girl. It was 'her,' the idiot who didn't give a second thought to help a stranger and openly showed her emotions when she didn't get the best 'thank you' for her help. Rather than worrying about the school, Mei worried about how this person even became a detective when she's so easy to read.

"If she causes trouble, I will make sure to apprehend her immediately."

"Okay, I leave it to you. You may go now. I'll see you at dinner."

Mei prepared to leave the room and took the documents relating to the two detectives as she headed for the door, she had planned to read on them further and see what both girls needed to improve on but she was swept away by a foreign thought. Turning around, she asked her grandfather one more question.

"Grandfather..."

"Yes?"

"Has Kei come to visit. I haven't seen him since I arrived."

"That boy is not an Aihara. You already know that, Mei. Do not ask about people who are not worth your time."

There was frost in the old man's voice, even within the Aihara standards, it was something else. Mei didn't feel inclined to press it further.

"I see. All right, grandfather."

Mei headed towards her bedroom and placed the folders she had been holding on top of her desk. The afternoon sun was blazing in through the large window which was the only source of natural light in her bedroom, something she both loved and hated at the same time. The sun had always been mesmerizing to Mei, she could bask in its warmth for hours upon hours but at the same time, the sun annoyed her as it blinded her from studying, reading or doing any sort of work at her desk.

Once she had cleaned the majority of the clutter which was inhabiting her space, Mei could finally see some real estate and began to open the folders she had received from her grandfather. The sun continued to set and was now at an angle where its rays had cast upon a piece of glass sitting on the right corner of the raven-haired girl's desk.

She squinted and picked up the photo frame that the light had been reflecting from. Wiping the dust off with her hand, she gazed longingly at the picture of a family which consisted of her parents, herself and Kei... her brother. She lingered for few seconds before returning the frame to its rightful place and proceeding to take care of more urgent matters- detectives Okogi and Taniguchi.

* * *

Notes:

dwolpertinger caught on to Goro's name origin! That name was largely chosen due to its closeness with the name Kumagoro.

As for the rest of the name:

I chose Kyou(杏) as the name for Yuzu's father since it means Apricot and both Yuzu and Ume had fruit names.

Mei's brother, I had named Kei(佳) due to the similarities with the name Mei and the meaning derived from it "Excellent" while hers is "Bright."

I decided to make some changes to the Aihara family which will be discussed in later chapters since I don't know how I'm going to go about it yet. The only things I have set in stone for now is that:

1\. In this AU Sho never left Mei and instead has worked with his father to expand Aihara Academy (Which is why there's a university level now). In a way he did leave her since he's working on relations outside of Japan, I will discuss it in more detail later on.

2\. The divorce between Sho and his wife still happened.

3\. Mei has a brother name Kei which will be introduced soon.

Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5: The Witch Who Stole A Kiss

It was the first day of her undercover work at the university and Yuzu was determined to look as cute and stylish as possible or maximizing her 'feminine charm' as she called it. She threw on a white circular skirt and an oversized pink sweater along with a solid white pair of high cut sneakers and baseball cap.

She then spent a couple of minutes fixing her hair and make-up before finishing off by wearing the heirloom she carried everywhere and checking herself out in the mirror. 'I look cute, even if I do say so myself.' She thought as she grinned in pure self-confidence before heading out. The sad truth about Okogi Yuzu was that she dressed to impress but at the age of 22, she had never been in a relationship.

For this reason, Yuzu had been looking forward to attending the university even if it was for work. Not only would she be able to pursue a line of inquiry and move the investigation along, she also had a shot at finding prince charming and living happily ever after. The blonde got herself even more excited at the thought of meeting boys and by the time she was in front of the university, she had worked herself up in a frenzy.

Making her way to the east side of the campus, she entered the far left building as indicated in her acceptance letter and approached the bulletin board that had all the class information plastered on it. Goro had promised Yuzu and Harumi that they would be able to choose whichever classes they wanted to take.

Unfortunately, that never happened due to the university having limited slots and in the end, they were passed off as business administration students with a few odd class here and there, two of which were philosophy and psychology which the blonde wasn't too interested in.

Once she got her class schedules, the blonde headed to the first class and found Harumi already sitting near the back of the classroom, waving at her.

"Wow, Yuzu-cchi. You look cute!" Harumi was gushing all over Yuzu who in turn made the latter blush from the attention she received from her friend.

"I brought my A-game." She replied with a small grin.

"Well, I completely agree with you." A voice came from behind them, it was smooth and mellow like a viola which caused the duo to instinctively look back at the owner of the voice.

"Ah, how rude of me to eavesdrop." He quickly apologized to the two.

The young man sat behind them and smiled in embarrassment. He had jet black hair which was sported in a shaggy bowl cut with bangs that fell towards his eyes, he was impressively tall and had an extremely handsome face with piercing blue eyes... by all accounts, the man was perfection incarnate. Yuzu couldn't help but think of how attractive he was that it was almost a sin to look at him.

"I am Yakimura Kei, are you two new?"

"Yes, we just transferred. I'm Taniguchi Harumi and this is my best friend Okogi Yuzu. Nice to meet you!" Harumi noticed that Yuzu had completely lost all senses and decided to elbow her which effectively brought the daydreamer back to earth.

"AH!" The blonde squealed in surprise, earning her some curious looks from their classmates. "Sorry, I got lost in thought for a second."

"No worries, it's nice to meet the both of you. Let's get along." Kei stretched his hand out to the blonde to which she gladly took before asking. "Say, Yukimura-san. Have we met before? You kind of look familiar."

"I don't think so, I think I would remember someone as beautiful as you if I had met you before." That was it for Yuzu, her brain had melted down and she was reduced into a hot steaming pile of a blushing potato. The guy was smooth and the blonde contemplated if this was what love at first sight was.

"Also, if you two let me call you Harumi and Yuzu, then I'll let you call me Kei. Deal?" At this point, the blonde had been mentally punching herself in an attempt to find out if this was all a cruel dream orchestrated by her evil subconscious. "Sure, Kei-san." Harumi replied to Kei before elbowing her pinching her friend's arm. Ironically, the pain got the blonde to accept that this was real and she wasn't gonna let the chance slip.

"Kei, do you want to exchange numbers? You know... since we're classmates and all." Yuzu took a bold step asking the guy for his number as she excitedly pulled out her mobile from her backpack. "I don't think that's a good id-" before Kei could even finish his sentence, Yuzu's phone had been taken from her hand, startling the blonde.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" She shouted towards the offender. "Mobile phones are not allowed in class. You would do well to read school regulations." The voice quickly shot back at her protest before continuing, "You may collect it from me after school."

Yuzu instantly recognized the raven-haired beauty that stood and towered in beside her, causing the blonde to lose all color and appear as white as a sheet. It was Aihara Mei, the girl she had saved the week before. Great, just great. She knew the girl would be here but she didn't expect to meet her again so soon, much less be in the same class as her.

"Mei, can't you give her a break? She's new." Kei called for the raven-haired girl's attention with a smile on his face.

"No." Once again, Mei answered instantly, "I refuse to give anyone leniency even if they're your friends, Kei."

"For me then?" The young man once again tried to nudge the ice queen.

"I said no." Then, just like her first meeting meeting with Yuzu, Mei left without another word and sat in front of the classroom beside a girl with curled purple hair which was styled in pigtails. Mei's seatmate looked back at them allowing the blonde to see how thick her eyebrows were and feeling annoyed at how proud the tiny girl looked.

"Sorry, Yuzu. She's a bit strict but she's a nice girl so don't think too badly of her." Kei gave Yuzu an apologetic smile which the blonde couldn't refuse. At this point, she was wondering what their relationship could be as they called each other with their first names and appeared comfortable with each other. That's when it struck her that someone as handsome as Kei couldn't possibly be single and if she had to be honest, the Aihara heiress was nothing short of perfection herself.

Harumi was laughing at this point and made fun of how the blonde already got in trouble during their first day. On the other hand, switches started flipping in Yuzu's brain and not long after, she was thoroughly convinced that the two were most likely dating, crushing her own hopes at having prince charming for herself as Harumi laughed even more at the gloom that had spread across her friend's face.

Not long after, a professor came in and class started as the room grew silent and lessons started pouring in, starting with the major subjects which were literally impossible for Yuzu to follow since they were advanced classes designed for those in their last year of business administration. Although she knew there was no need to ace it, she couldn't just pass empty papers to the professors which caused a dilemma.

During lunch break, Yuzu and Harumi discussed their plan of action on how to find information at the school. They decided that the best way was to befriend some of the girls and start asking questions regarding recent events in the campus and also visiting spots that were frequented by the students.

By the time the afternoon classes started, Yuzu was already feeling a little agitated for being so hopeless in the business-related lessons. Kei had excused himself as he was not enrolled on the last two classes, causing the blonde's mood to dip even further. Surprisingly, she found herself enjoying the lecture on Philosophy and Psychology, both of which were taught by professor Kimura.

The professor barely taught anything in the way of actual scientific psychology nor proper philosophy, he was more interested in questioning his students' beliefs and getting them to open up to unfamiliar concepts and ideas which started a heated debate among some of the blonde's classmates.

Once lessons ended, Harumi got to work and started befriending a few of their classmates while Yuzu accompanied Mei to retrieve her phone. The raven-haired girl was adamant in following proper procedures for confiscated items which entailed filling up some documentation and dishing an appropriate punishment to the blonde.

"Do I really have to come all the way here?" She groaned as they reached the disciplinary office which was located on the topmost floor of her building.

"Yes, I need to file a formal confiscation notice and also a slip which details your punishment." Answered Mei as she opened the door.

"Ah, Mei." The raven-haired girl stopped and looked at who was addressing her, it was Kei. "Are you going home now? Do you want to go for dinner?"

"Oh, hey Yuzu." He greeted the blonde with a smile but her heart sank along with her hopes and dreams. Her dream guy just casually asked Mei out on a date.

"Kei, Why are you still here? Your classes ended three hours ago." Yuzu looked at the raven-haired girl thinking how she could talk to her boyfriend with such ice in her tone.

"I went and read at the library, I can't fall too far behind you!" He replied while scratching the back of his neck, Yuzu noticed a small cut on his knuckle and decided to point it out.

"Err, Kei. There's a cut on your knuckle."

"Ah, you're right. It must've been from the bookshelf. Seems like there was a nail sticking out of the old ones at the back."

"Can you file an official report so I can send someone to fix it?" The blonde was getting really annoyed at Mei's choice of words.

"Jeez, who cares about the bookshelf. Kei, give me your hand." She then pulled out a band-aid from her bag and plastered it on Kei's cut.

"There!" She grinned proudly after the deed was done and Kei gave her thanks by gently petting her head, "Thank you, Yuzu. You're a kind girl."

The act made Yuzu curse in her mind and look towards Mei who seemed indifferent to what was happening in front of her. The blonde sighed internally after she confirmed that the raven-haired girl wasn't mad about her boyfriend's actions towards the blonde.

"So Mei," Kei once again shifted her attention towards Mei. "Dinner?"

"No. I have matters to attend to. Maybe next time."

"All right, I'll see you later then."

Mei then gestured for Yuzu to follow her inside the office and asked her to sit as she got all the necessary paperwork done. The blonde fidgeted in her seat, continuously stealing glances at the girl in front of her.

"Aihara-san." Mei looked up and stared at Yuzu with a questioning look. "I don't remember introducing myself, how do you know my last name?" She inquired.

"Well, my friend and her sister knew you... apparently. Sorry, that must have startled you."

"I see." Mei returned to filling out the form as she thought it must've been the Taniguchi siblings. It didn't take long for Yuzu to try and start a conversation again.

"If you don't mind me asking... why are you the one taking care of this?"

"The man who previously held this position quit before the semester started, I'm just filling in until a replacement is found."

"Oh... but you're a student."

"And?" There was an obvious venom in Mei's words, she didn't take kindly to a stranger questioning her ability to perform such menial tasks.

"S-sorry. I was just curious." Mei tried her best to finish the paperwork before another question came up but the blonde beat her to the chase.

"By the way... I don't know if you remember me but I wanted to ask how you were and if that guy bothered you again..." No answer came from the raven-haired girl.

"It must've been a pain, huh? That guy was violent, you did good to break-up with him."

"It's none of your business." Mei was visibly displeased at Yuzu for opening the topic of Amemiya but that didn't stop the blonde from letting out some steam. She had felt dissed after the events that took place but she didn't expect Mei to be so blatantly rude to her like this.

"You know, usually people are thankful for being saved!"

"I didn't ask for your help. It was unwanted."

"Says the girl who was literally gonna get dragged away. If anything, a thank you would've been nice! In mangas when you save a girl, she showers you with kisses and praises!"

"Is that all you want?" Whatever emotion had briefly surfaced on the raven-haired girl's face was gone now and she was back to her calm and composed self which threw Yuzu off. She expected Mei to fight more or at least concede and apologize. Not wanting to give up and look like an idiot, Yuzu kept on talking.

"You should be thankful I was there to-" Mei stood beside Yuzu and forcefully grabbed the blonde's head, tilting her face up so that their eyes met. Everything happened so quickly that Yuzu didn't know how to react or what was happening until Mei leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips which lingered for a while as Yuzu sat motionless.

"There's your kiss, now shut up about it." The blonde sat there in silence for a good few minutes as tumbleweeds rolled in her head, then it registered that she just had her lips stolen. Once realization hit, redness quickly shot through her neck and spread across her face. She immediately stood up and ran towards the door with her mind in shambles and her heart pounding in what she assumed was frustration with a hint of anger. 'That witch stole my first kiss!' She mentally shouted while dashing out of campus grounds.

Back in the chairman's office, Mei furrowed her eyebrows at the blonde's reaction but didn't linger on it too long. She filed the documents in their respective places after finishing them and grabbed Yuzu's cellphone.

"She didn't even take her phone... how troublesome." The raven-haired girl sighed and placed the phone inside her bag intending to return it to the owner the next day.

* * *

Notes:

I'm updating as fast as I can while I have an idea of where I want to take the story. For the most part, I want to recreate a lot of the moments that existed within the manga while painting them in a different light such as Mei stealing Yuzu's first kiss.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6: Caution, Lest You be Eaten

The next day, Harumi noted that Yuzu looked like she had just lost the battle for humanity and was now a hollow shell of her former self. The blonde was quiet the entire morning and wasn't listening to a single thing she said for the past 15 minutes.

"Yuzu-cchi... what's wrong with you today?" The blonde lazily looked at her friend before focusing all her attention on the ketchup bottle sitting on the table, which in turn made the plum-haired girl slightly annoyed at how her friend thought the condiment was more interesting than what she was saying. It wasn't until Mei had approached their table that Yuzu snapped out of her daze and instinctively grabbed onto Harumi's arm as if trying to get away from a monster.

"Okogi-san, here's your mobile." The raven-haired girl held the phone out, waiting for the owner to take it. "You ran all of a sudden and forgot to take it." Images from yesterday started flashing in the blonde's head... things like how this girl had stolen her first kiss the day before. The kiss she had been saving for the person who would win her heart and now that was all ruined.

"Oh, so that's why you weren't replying to my texts," Harumi commented as the blonde slowly reached towards the phone.

There were a billion thoughts in Yuzu's head right now, what was that kiss? What did it mean? Did it even mean anything? Was this girl the type of person who would abuse her status and take advantage of people? 'I'm a police officer, I can have her arrested if she sexually assaults people like this.' she thought, but then was that what happened? Was this girl also taking advantage of a nice guy like Kei?

The last thought had sprung her into action and she excused herself from Harumi before running after the raven-haired girl and ignoring the plum-haired girl's protests.

"Aihara-san, can we talk?" She asked the girl while keeping her guard up, "So? Talk." Mei's amethyst eyes burned with impatience as she waited for the other girl to speak up.

"Not here! Somewhere more private..." Yuzu blushed in embarrassment as she looked away from the girl who sighed and nodded in agreement to the blonde's request.

Making their way to the rooftop, Yuzu had steeled herself with thoughts of apprehending Mei. She played and replayed scenarios in her mind about how she was going to do this. When she was in high school she often made poor choices on calling people out for their wrongdoings and most of the time it landed her into more trouble than she expected.

"What do you want, Okogi?" Mei's patience was running thinner at every second that ticked by. She could be finishing important paperwork right now, instead, she's on the roof talking to a girl she barely even knew and had cost her nothing but trouble since the first time she met her.

"About yesterday when you...-" Yuzu couldn't say the word, which caught the raven-haired girl's attention "kissed." she completed the sentence for the blonde in hopes of shortening this conversation to a bare minimum while inwardly sighing at how flustered the other girl was.

"Yes, uh. Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean? You asked for it." Yuzu's eyes widened as she remembered her own words from the day before and anxiously shouted, "I didn't mean it literally!"

"Oh..." The look on Mei's face spelled everything out for Yuzu, the raven-haired girl had taken her request at face value. Mei had grown knowing everything revolved around business, connections, and favors. Everything she was and everything she did was to further the Aihara name, even her future was paved with the Aihara's best interest in mind.

So, when this blonde had nagged her and the word kisses and praises were brought up, she took the easier and shorter choice. The only thought on Mei's mind was that she needed to do this to avoid a scandal sprouting from her altercation with Amemiya. They were both girls anyway, there was no meaning to it. She simply paid the price that the blonde asked for.

"Anyway, you shouldn't do things like that. Your boyfriend would be heartbroken if he found out." 'Boyfriend?' Mei thought to herself as to how the blonde got the impression she was dating someone, then it hit her, "Do you mean Kei?"

The blonde nodded in agreement, thanking the other girl's ability to quickly get on topic and noticing a hint of annoyance in the latter's face. "I don't know where you got that idea, however, there is nothing between me and Yukimura Kei. He's my brother."

That hit Yuzu like cloud 9, Mei had done her a favor in knowing that her crush wasn't in a relationship with the goddess in front of her. "Oh... sorry for prying." She quickly apologized hoping Mei would let it slip.

"Huh? Wait you have different surnames."

"Our parents divorced and he took my mother's while I took my father's." Mei hated the fact that she now had to explain things to this blondie just to prevent rumors from spreading about her and her brother.

"Oh..."

The raven-haired girl had caught on to the blush and bliss that had spread through the blonde's face. This girl was obviously interested in her brother. Something came over her, she didn't really understand what it was. Competitiveness against her brother? Annoyance at the fact she was pulled into this little drama?

She had no idea, other people's emotions were something she had no trouble understanding but her own was an absolute mystery and she had long given up on understanding them much like the rest of her household.

She approached the blonde who instinctively paced away until her back was up against a wall and she couldn't move any further. Like a tiger that cornered its prey, Mei slowly closed the gap between them and gently cupped the blonde's face.

"W-what are you doing?" Yuzu was trying her best to be as calm as possible, then she noticed for the first time the difference between hers and Mei's height. Yuzu stood at a decent 164 cm and Mei was a bit taller than she was, throwing a rough estimate of around 170 cm at the top of her head before all logic got shut off as the taller girl once again encouraged her to look up. Their gaze locked and Mei stared intently at the green eyes that reflected the blue sky above them.

The sight in front of Yuzu was enough to make her heart stop, Mei leaned in with seductive half lids as the afternoon sun bathed her from behind, her pitch black hair absorbed all the light and curtained around Yuzu's face as Mei's lips inched closer while her other hand snaked its way around Yuzu's waist.

The blonde had a mini-heart attack when a loud ringtone played from her pocket, Mei also stopped in her track and teasingly smirked at the gawking blonde.

"Okogi-san, you seemed to have enjoyed that. Are you sure you didn't mean the request from yesterday?" She said with an uncharacteristic haughtiness in her usually monotone voice.

Yuzu contemplated answering the raven-haired girl but decided to throw a look that said 'just you wait' at the taller girl as she answered the call.

"Yuzu-cchi! Where are you? Goro-senpai has been shouting at me for a good 30 minutes now!" Harumi was in a state of panic over the phone.

"I'm just having a talk with Aihara-san, what's happening?"

"He wants us to meet him at a nearby restaurant. They found another one."

Yuzu's heart sank, while she was busy playing hookey and thinking about boys, not to mention dealing with this infuriating rich lady with her she forgot what she was supposed to be doing, the real reason she was there and now another person lost their life.

"Aihara-san, I need to go. Would it be possible to skip class?"

"I am aware of your actual occupation, Okogi. I'll deal with the teachers."

Yuzu thanked Mei before leaving her. The raven-haired girl thought back on what she did, trying to rationalize it and failing in the end, she felt a tiny hint of guilt as she realized her enjoyment at playing with the innocent blonde. A small smile crept over Mei's lips as she opened the door and left the roof.

At the corner of her eye, she noticed a cigarette butt that had been left right beside the door, it wasn't there when she and Yuzu arrived a few minutes ago. She mentally noted to find and apprehend whoever it was that was breaking school rules.

Meanwhile, Yuzu headed for the academy gate where Harumi was waiting for her. She hated how the Aihara girl had been playing with her like a toy, she wasn't even interested in women and yet the girl's amethyst eyes looked at her accusingly.

The blonde pushed down the urge to scream at the top of her lungs, her heart pounding so loudly wasn't helping her case, then again she had just made a mad dash from the roof to the gate which would explain her heart rate. 'Of course, there's no way I'd like her.' She thought to herself.

Once she met up with Harumi, the two headed for a burger chain a block away from the university. Goro was already sitting on one of the more secluded tables with an envelope in his hands. Harumi headed for Goro as Yuzu took her time and ordered a meal for herself, she had skipped lunch and now she was starving.

"Okogi, where have you been? I've been here for an hour now."

Flustered, Yuzu explained that she had a talk with Mei about something 'school related'. A lie, but it wasn't like she could tell her best friend and superior that the raven-haired girl got a bit too touchy-feely with her... not to mention twice now.

"You need to take this seriously, Okogi. We have a lot on our plate right now, do you understand?"

"Yes, sorry..."

Hearing a genuine apology from the blonde was enough for Goro to stop scolding her and move on to the actual issue at hand. He pulled out some documents and moved them towards the two who sat opposite of him as he narrated to them.

"We have another victim. She was found an 2 hours ago at an apartment 40 minutes to the east from here. The forensic team is already there and I know the chief asked me not to take you guys to the crime scene but we're a bit short-handed and I'll need your help."

Yuzu was looking at the documents in front of her which included an address, some photos, and other preliminary documents.

"Here, get changed." Goro gave Harumi and Yuzu a bag that contained a pair of latex gloves, a mask, a cap, and black hoodie plus pants along with a pair of sneakers which Yuzu noted was a little too big for her.

"What's the mask for?" Asked Harumi as she pulled out the mask with a little teddy bear printed in front of it.

"To protect your identity. Officially, you're still undercover and we can't risk people recognizing you, so make sure to tie your hair up and wear the mask and cap."

After changing, Yuzu took her meal to-go and Goro drove the three of them over to the crime scene as he made sure to remind the two of the proper procedures and to keep this a secret from the chief. "Chief won't be happy with me taking you two here but you two need to see what we're dealing with. This isn't child's play."

The blonde had just finished eating when they arrived at the apartment building, it was old and practically falling apart. Four floors above, Harumi pointed at the police tape leading to one of the apartments on the far left side and they made their way up.

The coroner, Hibiki, was the first to greet them. She was a middle-aged woman with medium length brown hair which was tied up in a bun. Sharp hazel eyes with heavy black rings underneath them proved she was a total workaholic.

"Yo, Goro. You're late." She criticized the detective as she ushered the group inside the apartment. "You can blame the blonde over there." was his only retort.

"Ah, Okogi. Are you still causing Taniguchi trouble?" The woman laughed lightly as she eyed the two newbie detectives, "When did she ever stop?" Harumi joined in on the teasing.

"Hey! I don't cause trouble, trouble finds me!" The blonde answered them, "You're not helping yourself, Okogi." Goro immediately prevented all hopes of Yuzu saving face as the Hibiki and Harumi giggled at her expense.

"Now then, let's go over the details. The girl was found around 3 hours ago when the police responded to a call from the apartment owner, Watanabe Jun. Watanabe-san stated that he had come to check on the apartment which he had been trying to lease for 3 months now. Someone had contacted him two days ago asking if the apartment was still available and what state it was in."

"The man then asked if he could check the apartment today before deciding to rent it, so Watanabe-san arrived here this morning to check and that's when he found the front door's lock had been changed. After calling a locksmith, the two were met with the body of the victim who we've yet to identify." Goro finished his brief and turned to Hibiki, urging her to report on their findings.

"On our side," started the coroner, "We estimate the time of death to be around yesterday afternoon as is suggested by the rigor mortis... I hope you guys already ate." She directed the last sentence at the two young detectives as she asked them to follow her into the next room.

When Yuzu first saw the images of the Doll Maker's work, she affirmed herself that there was no way it could get worse and so she persevered through the last four victims, going through the images with a fine-toothed comb in hopes of finding clues... anything. Now actually standing in this room, she realized how naive she had been. Those images couldn't compare to what she was seeing now.

It wasn't any different than the previous ones. The victim's dead body stood upright, hanged from the center of the room. She looked like she had been bled like a pig with the amount of blood that had partially dried on the tatami. Seeing it in person reaffirmed the fact that this was it, a crazed serial killer taking pleasure in treating women like livestock to be played with.

The victims naked body showed various mutilations from her neck down, Yuzu felt the urge to cover the victim's body with something but she knew they had a protocol to follow and bit back the bitterness she felt. Moving behind the body, the blonde noticed that her ankles had been lacerated, probably to keep the victim from trying to escape. The girl's head drooped down, hiding her face behind a flowing crown of black hair.

Hibiki then threw on some gloves and gently pulled the victim's head, showing it to the detectives.

"Like the others, her eyes were gouged out. From the perp's pattern, I'm assuming it was also taken while she was still alive." The coroner then opened the mouth before continuing. "The tongue was also taken... but there's something different this time." Hibiki moved towards a table nearby and grabbed a piece of paper on top of it, then handed it to Goro.

The senior detective looked at the piece of paper and read out loud, "This one wasn't meant to be a nightingale either." Fearful expressions spread across the room, this was turning into a game. The killer was now trying to open a line of communication... no, he was taunting them.

* * *

Notes:

I had figured out the model I wanted in the killer and got a bit excited with writing chapters. So... now I pushed 3 chapters out in 24 hours instead of fabulously lazing around all day like I usually do.


	7. Chapter 7: Despite Our Circumstances

Mei had been furiously tapping her pencil for the last hour. She had gotten up early on a weekend in hopes of finish some paperwork that her grandfather had sent over but 4 hours in and she barely touched, much less finished anything. Her mind and concentration were simply all over the place today, something very unusual for the honor student.

Releasing a loud sigh, she put her pencil down and headed for the kitchen to get a drink, hoping a short break would allow her to regain a bit of willpower to finish her responsibilities. To the girl's annoyance, she hadn't even taken a sip from her freshly poured orange juice when the phone suddenly started ringing, demanding to be answered.

"Hello?"

"Mei?" The man on the other side of the phone sounded familiar, "Father?"

"Oh, good! You're there. I called the mansion but they said you moved out a week ago. Did you get into an argument with your grandfather?" The older Aihara asked with a slight hint of worry in his voice.

"Of course not, father. The mansion is too far to travel on foot, and taking a car every day isn't economical."

She answered her father, thinking back on the events from a few weeks ago where she tried walking from the mansion and back, only to end up completely exhausted from all the exercise, prompting an immediate discussion with the Aihara patriarch. Her father's apartment was much closer after all and she'd rather spend the extra time studying or working instead of walking.

"I see. That sounds reasonable. So, how's school? Anything new there?"

"It's good. As for anything new..." Mei paused for a second as images of a certain blonde student started mercilessly flooding her mind, "Well, we have some interesting new students at the academy."

"Oh? That's rare, you're interested in a student?"

"Not entirely. They work for the police and asked for grandfather's permission to stay on school grounds as students."

"Ah, I heard from your grandfather. It's related to those serial killings, right?"

"Yes."

"Are they any closer to catching him?"

The girl once again took a long pause as she thought about the two detectives. She knew Harumi from high school and Mei had always held a substantial amount of respect for the girl's older sister, Mitsuko. Which in turn gave her a bit of faith in Harumi's ability to perform as a detective... but the blonde was another topic entirely.

"What's wrong, Mei?"

"Nothing, why?" She was puzzled by her father's sudden concern.

"You just let out a long sigh..."

"Oh, my apologies. I was just thinking about your question. Grandfather had his reservations about one of the detectives sent in, Okogi Yuzu. I promised him I would keep her in line."

"Okogi?" There was an audible distress in her father's voice which caught Mei by surprise, "Yes, is something the matter?"

"N-no. Not at all."

"I see."

"Anyway, Mei, I won't go against your decision to stay at the apartment, however, at least promise you'll be careful and not come home too late at night."

"Yes, father. I'll try."

"Good. I have to go now since it's already so late here in Britain and I have a meeting tomorrow. I'll speak to you some other time, okay? Bye."

"Goodbye."

When Aihara Sho ended the call, he carefully placed the phone down, making sure that the line was dead before leaning back in his chair. He had a lot of worries on his mind, mostly regarding the family business and the safety of his daughter but there was something else that bothered him deeply, "Okogi, huh?" he muttered as he looked out towards the night sky.

Back in Japan, there was another girl who furiously tapped another poor pencil on the table, this girl was tapping hard enough that her mother felt the need to intervene, "Yuzu, stop abusing that poor pencil!" Ume scolded her daughter who was making an impressive amount of noise with just a pencil and the table.

"I'm not abusing it, Mama!" The blonde protested while Ume pinched her cheeks and took the small notebook she had been staring at, "I told you before, don't bring work-related items on the dining table."

"Sorry, I thought moving out here would help me think." Yuzu gave an apologetic bow towards her mother who acknowledged the sincerity in her voice, after all, the blonde was never one to act dishonestly.

"How's school/work?" Ume asked while returned the notebook, "It's... okay..." the blonde answered with a long face.

"It's obviously not okay, do you want to talk about it?"

"Actually, Mama. There's a handsome guy in my class!"

Ume was dumbstruck that her daughter chose to speak about a crush instead of what was bothering her but this wasn't something that she would brush aside. The mother and daughter had a special bond in which they both openly shared their thoughts with each other. Ume had always felt grateful that Yuzu trusted her enough to tell her about these things.

"Ehh, don't tell me you already made your move on him?" Teased Ume.

"I wanted to ask for his phone number but his sister-"

Yuzu stopped talking and kept her head down as she recalled how Mei had her cornered on the roof a couple of days ago, like some rabbit waiting to be devoured. The blonde didn't take kindly to the ordeal and had been stressing out how to deal with Mei should it ever happen again but to her surprise, the girl didn't even approach her, much less acknowledge her presence the next day nor the days after that.

This sent Yuzu into a frenzy, at first, the blonde thought that the raven-haired girl was just oblivious to social norms but she obviously had a good head on her shoulders so then the only logical conclusion was that she was being bul-.

"Are you being bullied at school?" Her mom had just completed the sentence for her and Yuzu gulped down as hard as she could and looking away to avoid her mother's eyes. She hated everything that Aihara Mei was at this moment.

"No, Mama. I just got my phone confiscated 'cause I was using it in class." She lied... but there was no way she could tell her mother the nature of Aihara Mei's 'bullying,' much less that the girl had taken her first kiss.

"What's bothering you then? That?" Ume pointed towards the case diary which her daughter had been continuously reviewing since she came home last Tuesday. The brunette recalled how her daughter refused to eat that night and was visibly shaken. The blonde later confessed it was because she had visited a crime scene in person for the first time and she wasn't mentally prepared for it.

"I just... I don't know, Mama. Maybe you were right, maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I feel like I'm running around in circles while people keep dying and I'm powerless to stop it."

Ume's heart broke at the sight of her daughter in tears. She was the loudest voice of disagreement when Yuzu decided to enter the police academy after high school, sending her only daughter to do the same job which took Kyou from her was the last thing she wanted to do but seeing the blonde persevere through intense training had softened the mother's heart into accepting her daughter's will.

"Yuzuko" She lovingly called to her daughter, wiping a stray tear from the blonde's face, "Give it time. Your father was the same. He'd beat himself up over the smallest things but in the end, he always solved the case."

"But what if we don't solve it? What if people keep dying and we don't catch him?"

"You will. I believe in you and your partner." Ume's words were filled with so much love and confidence that Yuzu couldn't help but hug her mother as thanks for the support she had given the blonde all these years, "Just promise Mama you'll be careful, okay?"

"I will! Thanks, Mama. I'm going to do my best!" Yuzu proudly proclaimed before grabbing her notebook and storming back to her bedroom with newfound inspiration.

"Good luck, Yuzu." She whispered to herself before looking at a lone family photo that had her late husband holding a much younger Yuzu in it, "Our little girl is all grown up now and she's as reckless as you... so watch over her."

When Monday came, the blonde and her plum-haired friend brainstormed over lunch regarding the details of the case, for the most part, they've been very careful on which matters they could discuss in public and which ones they needed complete privacy on- choosing to discuss such things only at Harumi's house or in a park somewhere since they weren't allowed to visit the police station.

"I already have the full details on the victim, Matsuri should've sent you a copy as well," Harumi whispered as she checked for any stray student who might pick-up on their conversation.

"Hold on, let me see."

Yuzu pulled out her phone and checked her e-mail for any new messages and sure enough, Matsuri had just sent her an e-mail with the title 'Urgent: For Yuzu-chan only" which the blonde quickly opened and scanned. Within the e-mail were details about the victim, Sato Natsuki. The other details were practically the same as the other victims- in short, another dead end.

"So we got nothing again."

"Basically... except for that note." Harumi motioned as if projecting a piece of paper into thin air.

"Which we don't even know the meaning of." Both girls sigh while furrowing their eyebrows in frustration.

"We have to be missing something!"

"The only thing you're going to miss is class."

Yuzu jolted in her seat as she recognized the voice that echoed in the empty cafeteria.

"Oh, Prez." Harumi acknowledged the raven-haired girl's presence.

"Taniguchi-san, I'm no longer the student council president." Mei then shifted her gaze towards the blonde who was fidgeting on her seat as if a viper had come into the room, "and you two are late for class. The professor sent me out to get you."

"R-right. We'll go now." Yuzu avoided Mei's eyes and quickly grabbed Harumi's arm, dragging the poor girl all the way towards class as Mei stood in silence for a while before finally following some distance behind the duo.

"Yuzu-cchi, that was kinda rude. She came all the way out here to get us and you ran from her." Harumi whispered, being careful to keep her voice silent enough that it wouldn't be audible to the raven-haired girl a few steps behind them.

Yuzu had no excuse for her action, her heart had been trying to beat out of her chest since Mei called their attention and her anxiety level just shot through the roof and she couldn't bear to in the same room as the girl. Harumi calling her out on her rude behavior was like adding insult to injury, she knew she had to apologize.

"You're right. I should apologize after class..."

When class ended, Yuzu approached Mei and asked if they could talk but Mei refused, stating she had some business to attend to and would like to finish it as soon as possible. Of course, the blonde argued that it would only take a second, though the raven-haired girl was adamant in her decision. In the end, Yuzu conceded and told Mei she would wait for the girl to finish.

Mei took care of her tasks as Yuzu sat on a bench outside their building. She pulled out her mobile and decided to text Matsuri regarding any new development on their case, particularly any digital footprint left by the killer.

Yuzu: Matsuri~ anything new?

Matsuri: Yuzu-chan, this is the first time you're texting me in weeks and this is the first thing you say? (´д｀)

Yuzu: Sorry!

Yuzu: It's been a bit... hectic.

Matsuri: Whatever, you're buying me a parfait next weekend. (￣ー￣;)ゞ

Yuzu: Sure, no problem!

Yuzu: I need a break anyway.

Matsuri: Aren't you already somewhat in a break?

Yuzu: Not!

Yuzu: So, anything? (￣∇￣)

Matsuri: There's not much, we're still scouring on our end.

Matsuri: We're reviewing a few footages at the moment.

Matsuri: Nene has been at it for days but still no sign of your latest victim.

Matsuri: What about you? How's your end?

Yuzu: We've been having conversations with the students but...

Yuzu: Nothing in particular sticks out.

Matsuri: Ah, tough.

Yuzu: Actually, did you guys find anything on the note?

Matsuri: No, there were no prints on it.

Yuzu grunted in frustration, then peeked at the clock to check for the time. It was already 6:40 PM and Mei still hasn't finished, she said she'd wait so there's no point in backing out now but there was also no harm in checking up on the girl. 'It's getting late... how much work does she do?!' she thought.

Yuzu: Matsuri, I'm gonna go check on someone.

Yuzu: I'll talk to you later, let me know if anything new comes. ( ˘ ³˘)

Matsuri: 'Kay~

The blonde entered the building and made her way up towards the office where Mei worked as the temporary head of the disciplinary committee. It didn't take long for Yuzu to climb up a few flights of stairs and get there but there was something odd, the lights were out but she didn't see Mei leave the building.

Curiosity hit her and she knocked on the door... no answer, she tried once more and was met with the same response. At this point, the blonde was thinking that the raven-haired girl ditched her through a different route or was in the toilet. Just to be on the safe side, the blonde decided to check inside, not like it could do any harm.

Upon opening the door, she was met by a mess of paper strewn about the floor. The table that Mei had kept pristine was in shambles and there were office supplies thrown everywhere. It quickly became apparent that a struggle had happened here and panic was starting to set in. Pressing her speed dial for Harumi, she held the phone up to her ear while dashing back towards the stairs.

"Hello, Yuzu-cchi!" Her friend greeted her excitedly.

"Harumin! This is an emergency. Aihara Mei is missing and there are clear signs of a struggle at her office."

"Whoa, wait. Prez? Okay, got it. I'll call Goro-senpai and have uniforms at the school ASAP."

"Thanks!"

'Damn it, Aihara. Please be okay.' She prayed as she ran as fast as her body would allow.

* * *

Notes:

Hello everyone,

There are some people who have been interested in the story progression and theorizing the whats and whys of it. Honestly, since it's my first time writing anything I have no idea if I'm doing a good job of creating a compelling story, nor do I have any idea on how predictable this is to you guys as readers.

My only wish is that you guys enjoyed the story even if you found it predictable.

* * *

Me: I should keep updating while I'm motivated.

Also Me: Look at all these memes! Let's draw something! Look at all those ducks!


	8. Chapter 8: I Will Save You

The blonde's fear multiplied with every second that passed, there was a gnawing feeling of wanting to find the raven-haired girl as soon as possible... she didn't care for the reason behind the anxiety and she would not even consider the possibility of failing to find her.

Not being one to of those people who used their brains on a daily basis, she mentally scolded herself for only thinking about searching the entire building in hopes she would find the missing girl. A bad sign considering her breath was already ragged and her legs were a little worn from running up and back down the stairs.

'Calm down and think!' she commanded herself. 'There are only 2 other exits aside from the main entrance.' She reasoned, thinking back on the time Kei had nicely shown her and Harumi around the campus. Stretching her mental muscle, Yuzu thought back to Mei's temporary office, trying to recall anything that could give her a timeframe as to when the girl was taken and which exit would've been used, plus the time it would take to travel while carrying a person and avoiding detection.

'The lights were off, she was most likely on her way out when she was jumped but that doesn't help, especially since I have no idea how much work she had to do nor how fast she'd finish them and even if she knew, the perpetrator could've turned off the lights to avoid suspicion and buy himself some time to escape... What else?'

'There were office supplies across the floor and everything's a mess, so obviously, there was a struggle. Mei fought back and whoever took her didn't have the experience to do it quietly, nor did they have enough strength to quickly subdue a girl of Mei's stature. The struggle would also mean she wore him down to some extent, making it even more likely that he'd take longer to get her out of the building.'

Yuzu got on her phone and called Matsuri hoping the pink-haired girl was still at work. Three rings in and the familiar nonchalant voice greeted her, "Yuzu-chan? What's happening?"

"Matsuri! I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to access the CCTVs outside of Aihara Academy and tell me if you see a girl with long black hair being carried out within the last hour. Focus on the two that are pointed at the west and southeast exit."

The blonde rationalized that the incident must've taken place within that timeframe since the property custodian checks the rooms after the last classes have ended, which is usually at 6 PM. That would mean there was nothing out of the ordinary or else it would've been reported much earlier.

"Okay, hold on."

Yuzu could hear Matsuri screaming at Nene to help her review the footage from the cameras positioned around the outside of the school while she, herself, ran towards the security room on the third floor. Turning the knob proved futile since it was locked and this wasn't a time to play by the rules. The blonde quickly kicked the door down, further straining her already tired body.

"What was that?" Matsuri asked when a loud bang echoed from Yuzu's end, "The security room's door... found anything?" questioned the blonde as she took a seat and replayed videos captured by their building's cameras.

"We just finished viewing the last hour and we didn't see anything suspicious. It might not be as thorough as I'd like but I'm pretty confident we didn't miss anything. No cars left during that time either." The pink-haired girl answered before continuing, "They either used a different route or might still be inside, we'll keep watching the video feed in case anything shows up."

"Thanks, Matsuri. Inform Goro-senpai for me and call me ASAP if you see anything."

Yuzu dropped the call and focused all of her attention on a few displays in front of her. She watched the live feed with hawk eyes as she maneuvered one of the screens to replay captures going back an hour, particularly on the sixth-floor where Mei would've been working... like a moth to the flame, there he was, a man wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans, a pair of high-cut boots and a ski mask appeared before shortly entering the disciplinary committee's office.

The blonde checked the timestamp, 6:29 PM. At 6:41, the man left the room carrying an unconscious Mei on his shoulder. He was visibly struggling to walk under her weight, completely tired from the altercation as Yuzu previously deduced. A floor lower, the man did something unexpected; he was frantic and started walking faster, checking every classroom he passed before finally entering the restroom and a few seconds later, the blonde saw herself appearing on the fifth-floor staircase at exactly 6:45.

There wasn't another second to waste, she ran while checking her mobile for the current time. It was now 6:54... arguably the longest 9 minutes of her life but it's far from over. Arriving at the fifth-floor, Yuzu prepared herself for whatever she was going to find in there, she needed to resolve this flawlessly or Mei could get injured... if she wasn't already.

Quietly slipping through the partially open door, Yuzu observed the inside of the restroom but her vision was obscured by the toilet stalls. Luckily, adjacent to the stalls were the sink and above them hung a few mirrors which gave her a wider view of the room and she found the would-be kidnapper beside a window but Mei was nowhere in sight.

The blonde lowered herself to the floor, hoping to scan the room from a lower perspective which paid off when she quickly found another person sitting on the floor in the last stall. The long black hair confirmed that it was Mei and by the way the girl's arm drooped on her side, plus the steady rhythm of movement in her body, Yuzu was convinced she was alive but unconscious.

Watching the man through the mirror, the blonde noted his nervousness in the way he hunched over and constantly held his face through the ski mask. There was also the constant glances over to his Mei's direction while furiously tapping his foot as if he was impatiently waiting and it wasn't long before he approached the unconscious girl.

A loud grunt sounded through the silence, signaling that the man had now carried the Aihara heiress once more. Yuzu quickly crawled under the opening of the closest stall to avoid getting spotted. It wasn't a good idea to confront him in such tight quarters, she would risk being cornered or having Mei injured by accident.

A few seconds later and footsteps made their way out of the restroom, Yuzu thought this was a good chance to apprehend him in a larger space, "Hey!" she shouted at the kidnapper who in turn, looked back at her, the raven-haired girl slumped over his shoulder, "Shit." He swore under his breath as Yuzu held up her mobile.

The man dropped Mei in a less than gentle manner, pulled a knife out and pointed it towards the girl slumped on his leg, "Don't you dare call the cops on me. If you do, she dies." He threatened at Yuzu but it was already a little late for that as the blonde's mobile started buzzing and the name Harumi popped-up, "Too late for that, they're already here." she commented before answering the call.

"Harumin, fifth floor. I found them. He's armed and holding her captive."

"Bullshit!" the man shouted in disbelief, "There's no way they're already here. You just called them!" he accused the blonde but she quickly deflected, "I called them a few minutes ago after I found her office in shambles." The blonde pointed at the raven-haired girl before continuing, "I don't know why you're doing this but you're not gonna get out of here with her. So, please put the knife down and we can talk about this."

Footsteps could be heard quickly approaching and the man panicked, pulling the knife closer to his hostage's neck as he muttered to himself, "Shit! It wasn't supposed to go like this." The criminal's attention was torn between the blonde in front of him and approaching footsteps behind him so he was completely oblivious to the fact that his victim began waking.

The raven-haired girl felt her head throbbing horribly and she blinked a few times to try and refocus her hazy vision until she could clearly see Okogi Yuzu standing a few steps away from her with a serious look that seemed so foreign on the blonde's face... Mei convinced herself that she must be dreaming, though the coldness of the metal against her neck begged to differ.

"Put the knife down!" Harumi's voice commanded, pointing a gun at the man who was now in a state of total panic and muttering to himself, "Don't come any closer or she's done for!"

"You're not getting out of here any other way, please give up." The blonde calmly pointed out to the man.

"Let me go or she dies." He retorted.

"We're not letting you out of here, buddy. Knife down, and move away from the girl and we won't hurt you." Harumi shot back, unflinching.

There was an excruciating moment of perpetual tension as each party watched the other for any sudden movements, it was only Yuzu who had noticed that Mei was awake and blinking, causing the blonde to panic. 'Don't do anything stupid, Aihara-san.' She stared intently at the raven-haired girl almost as if trying to tell her to keep still but Mei was in a state of drowsed confusion and unaware of her surroundings, fidgetted a little, causing her captor to reposition the knife.

The blonde assessed the situation, 'Something doesn't look right' she looked at Mei who was still groggy and the knife planted right beside her neck and then it hit her and she slowly took steps towards the man, calling out to him.

"Hey. Let's just end this, okay? I know you don't want to hurt her." She smiled as she approached the masked man.

"What the fuck are you on about?! Stop right there or I'll seriously kill her!" He shouted at the blonde but she continued, ignoring his warning.

"Yuzu-cchi! What are you doing?!" Harumi's panic-stricken voice shot through the hallway as the blonde gave her a 'Just trust me' smile.

The man pulled Mei up and kept the knife close to the girl's neck as Yuzu lessened the gap between them and at around 10 paces away, Yuzu said something inaudible to the both Harumi and the rest of the police officers behind her. Whatever the blonde said, it worked because the man was now poising himself to throw the raven-haired girl at Yuzu's direction and he even looked like he was trying to drop the knife.

The blonde felt proud of herself for a second before the slight glimmer of a pistol's barrel caught her eye, then it all happened so fast. Yuzu ran towards Mei, pushing the girl down on the floor and laying on top as if to protect her as a shot rang through the school, followed by another and blood started tainting the hallway. The man was lying motionless beside Yuzu, he had been shot.

"Call the paramedics and get an ambulance!" Harumi shouted before she ran towards the three who were lying on a pool of blood. First, she made sure that the criminal was incapacitated, then she examined her best friend for injuries.

"I'm fine, Harumin." The blonde thanked her friend while she pulled up and sat beside a still dazed Mei, checking the girl for any gunshot wounds and sighed in relief when none was found.

A few minutes later and the whole issue had been resolved. Mei was being treated in one of the ambulances and Yuzu was talking with Harumi and Goro nearby while the paramedics rushed the perpetrator to the nearest hospital, he was still alive and Yuzu saw his face when they took off the mask. It was a young man with light brown hair; He was 18 at most... maybe younger.

"Who fired the shot?" Yuzu asked apprehensively.

"Kurosawa Hiroto," Harumi answered.

"Why did he shoot without a command?"

"Okogi, he had a shot. He took it."

"Goro-senpai, he could've killed Aihara. One of those shots went straight through the perp's body. If I didn't get there in time or got there too late, I or Aihara-san would be lying on an ambulance as well and besides..."

Yuzu took something from her pocket and handed it to Goro. It was the knife that the man or rather, boy, was using to keep Mei hostage, Harumi immediately recognized it specifically because of the blood that had drenched its wooden handle.

"This knife, was it that guy's?" Goro asked the blonde.

"Yes, it's unsharpened. I noticed when he moved it and despite the pressure he placed and the length of time he had it up against Aihara's neck, there was no blood."

"We still can't place any disciplinary action against Kurosawa for this." Goro was stern in his decision and it left a bitter taste in Yuzu's mouth. The kid had done something awful but he didn't need to be shot twice, it could've been resolved more peacefully.

"I need to go and make some calls. The two of you check on Aihara Mei and wait for me to come back." Goro commanded the two before leaving.

"It's not right, Harumin."

"I know, Yuzu-cchi. That idiot Kurosawa never listens to orders."

"It's not just that. He was a kid, there's no way he fits the profile for Doll Maker and here he is kidnapping a girl with a dull knife. It feels like someone's sending us on a wild goose chase."

"And why someone like Aihara Mei? All the victims until now were, pardon my words, nobodies and suddenly someone's going after an heiress who fits the description of all the victims? You don't think it's that guy from before, do you? The one from the cafe." Harumi added to Yuzu's reasoning.

"I don't know but that damned Kurosawa. Why did he have to go trigger happy and send our only lead to his deathbed."

The blonde felt her frustration welling up. She was happy that Mei was okay but all these questions kept buzzing in her head. Why would this kid feel compelled to do this? It's unlikely, but is the Doll Maker? or an accomplice? If not, then what was his reason for going after the Aihara heiress? If he was a hired... then who was behind it?

There were too many questions and she didn't have any of the answers. With a sigh and a heavy heart, she walked towards the Mei who was being treated in one of the ambulances. The night was young and yet there was so much to do.

* * *

Notes:

This chapter was extremely hard to write considering my unhealthy obsession with wanting to get things "believable" to a point where I ran up a flight of stairs and watched videos at increasing speeds to make sure that the 9-minute timespan between Yuzu's call to Harumi and just before she went back to the fifth-floor was possible or at least close to possible.

I tend to get caught up in minute details and there were a lot of things I wish I could've changed in the previous chapter including allusions that might've helped Yuzu come to a conclusion much faster, however, I believed that it would be cheating to do so when the previous chapter has already been published and read, so creativity was needed but only within the bounds of what's believable.

* * *

I do enjoy writing this very much. After reading Citrus, I just had so much energy directed at the series that I didn't know what to do with it so I decided to merge my interest in it and crime to expend that energy into making this fanfic.

Although I do admit that I tend to sit and play the scenarios inside my head while trying to create the story... then I somehow end up lost inside my mind especially when I start thinking about the fun things like altercations and big explosive endings.

-The guy who suggested the change from Baritone violin to viola, thank you! I was looking for a certain sound that matched what I had in mind and the baritone violin was simply the first to appear in my mind. Viola is a much shorter and concise description.

-I will not confirm anyone's killer theory! It won't be fun! and ducks are awesome!


	9. Chapter 9: Cohabitation of Opposites

Mei was sitting quietly at the back of an ambulance, a paramedic was tending to some minor injuries she had suffered as a result of struggling against her captor. Her head was still throbbing and her body felt heavy, she was told it was the effect of inhaling chloroform, a substance she was familiar with due to a few movies she had seen as a child and also chemistry class.

Her whole memory was hazy, the last thing she remembered was being in the office and filing some documents when she heard the door click but didn't pay attention, choosing to address the intruder without looking at the person-a mistake, and before she knew it a man was holding a rug above her face.

"Aihara-san?" Mei looked up and stared at the blonde who was addressing her, "Yes?"

"How are you feeling? Any wounds?" The raven-haired girl watched Yuzu's face as if it a foreign entity. There was a noticeable worry in the blonde's tone and her eyes bled with concern.

"I'm fine." She said in her usual cool, monotone voice. 22 Years of being an Aihara had taught Mei more than just the inner workings of a business, she also learned the invaluable skill hiding whatever emotions she felt no matter the circumstances. Truth be told, she was a little shaken up at the moment. Everything felt like a dream, a very bad one up 'til the point she saw the blonde and for some unexplained reason... she knew she would be okay.

"I see, then I'm sorry to do this now, Aihara-san but we do need to get your official statement."

"Of course"

"Can you start from wherever you can remember?"

The raven-haired girl started with her previous memory and continued to tell the blonde about remembering a sweet smell emanating from the rug that had been placed on her face, then a struggle ensued as she fought back in order to get away from her attacker. A few minutes later he completely pinned her down and continued smothering her with the rug... then nothing. A faint sound here and there, some flickers and... voices.

"Voices?" The blonde repeated as if asking for more information.

"Yes... I remember him speaking but I don't remember what he was saying and the next thing I knew-" Mei looked up at the blonde, she felt an odd burning sensation on her face that was alien to her, "I saw you and I thought I was dreaming... then I was being escorted here."

"Are you okay? You looked pale and now you look like you're burning up..." The blonde noticed how the other girl's face flared up a few seconds ago.

"I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy." Mei brushed her off.

"Okay. Anyway, do you have any idea who that guy was or who he could be working for?"

"Not really."

"What about the guy from the cafe?" Harumi joined in the interview.

"Amemiya? I don't think he'd do something of this magnitude."

"What's your relationship with him?" Yuzu asked but the other girl gave a disgruntled growl and the former picked up on the latter's annoyance, "Sorry, It might seem nosy but we do need every possible lead."

"I know." The raven-haired girl paused for a couple of seconds before continuing, "He was originally my suitor. We had already been engaged but circumstances came to light and my grandfather had decided to break the engagement."

"Is that all?" Harumi asked, unsure if the heiress has been entirely honest with them as Mei nodded in agreement without verbally answering.

There was much more to do and Harumi decided there was no point pressing the former student council president, instead, she turned and asked to come help with the crime scene investigation and also review the rest of the surveillance footages taken by the school. Yuzu declined, explaining that she wanted some time alone with Mei and that she would follow as soon as they're done talking.

Once Harumi left, Yuzu looked at Mei with the same solemn and apologetic eyes she had before. The raven-haired girl felt uncomfortable being under such gaze, she felt like her soul was being read and it didn't sit well with her, though it came as a surprise when Yuzu held both of her hands and fell to the ground.

"I'm so glad that you're okay" The blonde whispered, quiet enough that the wind could carry it but loud enough for Mei to fully absorb those tear-laced words that glided so smoothly from the fallen girl's mouth, "I'm so glad I didn't leave early." The two spent a few minutes like that, Mei didn't move. She didn't try to take her hands from Yuzu but she didn't react either... she didn't know how to. In front of such overwhelming emotions, how should she act?

Once Yuzu calmed down, the girl stood up and apologized to Mei for the sudden outburst. She then excused herself and headed inside the building and Mei was left outside to drown in her own thoughts which were currently like a cyclone filled with confusion.

"Yuzu-cchi, you've got to see this." Harumi motioned for the blonde to approach her and pointed at one of the screens, "This guy was moving back and forth inside the building and he kept getting calls... every time he receives a call, he gets a bit tense and starts pacing, rubbing his face, and tapping his foot."

"Anxiety. Did we recover the phone?"

"Yes, I already checked but it's password protected. We'll have to get the pink devil to open it."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Harumin. Matsuri is the best after all!" The blonde beamed proudly at her childhood friend's hacking and cracking ability.

"I just hope she doesn't start hacking our stuff." Harumi shuddered at the thought.

"Who says she doesn't?" Yuzu joked and the two let out a hearty laugh before reverting back to their serious conversation.

"So, Yuzu-cchi. Anything from Prez.? I mean before I got there."

"She doesn't remember much aside from the struggle and how he chloroformed her. She remembers a few details, like him talking to her while she was out of it but she doesn't know what he said... too groggy."

"That just proves our point earlier. This guy is a total amateur."

"It explains why she was able to struggle against him for so long during the initial attack and also why she came to so quickly on the fifth-floor. Any news from the hospital?"

"Yes, he's being operated on right now."

"Damn. I hope he survives, he'll answer a lot of questions."

"You and I both, Yuzu-cchi. This is really bad, the Aiharas have always been lawful people but if someone's going after their heiress, then I doubt this would resolve as peacefully as we want. They'll probably bring it down on our heads and demand resolution."

"I don't know about the other Aiharas but... Mei doesn't seem to be like that."

"You just wait until you meet her grandfather... The old man still scares me even after all these years."

The plum-haired girl remembered all the times that the chairman had scolded her during high school. It didn't matter whether it was her necktie not being tied properly or her grades not being acceptable for the academy. There was just always something to work on, an ideal to reach. If this is how he treats strangers, then Harumi couldn't help but feel sorry for Mei, he must be a hundred times more strict on her.

There wasn't much point on Yuzu imagining the Aihara patriarch as Goro soon called them to accompany him for a visit to the chairman with regards to the incident and steps that must be taken for Mei's safety. It took 30 minutes to drive from the academy to the Aihara's mansion and the blonde couldn't help but look at the raven-haired girl who was sitting opposite of her at the backseat of Goro's car.

Mei's pale skin and silky midnight hair were reflecting a lot of the lights outside, she looked beautiful with the spaced-out look on her face. Yuzu found herself once again admiring the other girl's beauty, 'Now that I look closely at her... she and Kei do look alike. I guess there's no guy she couldn't get if she really tried.' she chuckled a bit at the thought of Mei trying to impress a guy, 'Yeah, no way.' she mumbled.

When they arrived at the Aihara residence, Yuzu was astounded at how large it was. The front gate stood ominously in front of the house, painted in total black and supported by a thick wall of concrete. Mei rang the doorbell and stated the name of her companions to the voice box before asking them to open the door, which the maids obliged to.

The mansion wasn't any less impressive beyond the gate, there was a huge garden out front with a single path that winded to a set of marble steps leading inside which continued with its use of marble flooring and stark white walls fashioned closer to western houses than traditional Japanese ones. There were painting by world-renowned artists hanging decoratively on the wall and a set of L-shaped grand staircases.

The maid had motioned for them to follow her towards the upper floor where the patriarch's study is located. Yuzu will never forget how she felt upon seeing the fragile old man sitting on a leather chair which seemed to dwarf him, making him look much smaller and frailer but not any less intimidating. His eyes gazed upon them, watching every movement as if they were animals in a zoo.

"Please sit down." The old man courteously offered in a monotone voice, "I've been informed on what happened at the academy. How are you, Mei?"

"I'm fine, grandfather. I apologize for any trouble I've caused." She gave a slight bow.

"Nonsense. This wasn't your fault." He directed at the girl, his tone unchanging. Then his cold eyes laid upon Yuzu who was sitting right beside Mei, "I believe you are the one to thank for the speedy resolution." he said to the blonde.

"N-not at all, sir. I was just doing my job..." she humbly pointed out but the man would not have it, "Regardless, you saved my precious granddaughter. There are not enough words to thank you."

"Sir, there are things we wish to discuss with you regarding the events this evening. Particularly the safety of your granddaughter." Goro called the old man's attention, "Ah, yes. Of course."

"We wanted to inform you that the perpetrator is currently undergoing surgery at Momokino General Hospital, however, we are not convinced that he's acting alone hence we need to take security measures to ensure your granddaughter's safety until we find more information."

"I see, and what would you suggest?"

"We have a proposition but this might be disagreeable to the young lady. I believe that the chief has informed you regarding the enrolment of our two detectives here at Aihara Academy," Goro motioned at the two girls beside him, "Okogi Yuzu will act as your granddaughter's bodyguard and live with her at the apartment she currently resides in." Yuzu's eyes widened at Goro's suggestion, she was not informed there were such talks.

"There are two reasons for us suggesting this; the first is as I've stated, for your granddaughter's safety and the second is so we don't tip-off the mastermind. Okogi will act as a buffer so that they don't feel threatened by the police's presence. I understand that it might be riskier to follow through this way instead of giving her proper police escorts, however, that kind of solution is temporary and the chief prefers to have permanent assurance by catching all of those involved."

There was a lot of sense in what Goro had suggested, Mei would be able to live closer to the academy and there would be less tension that actually having uniformed police officers. The Aihara patriarch also had a serious look on his face which meant he was really considering this option. Mei, on the other hand, fidgeted a little on her seat.

"She might look like a slacker but she's actually one of our best," Goro added after he noticed the concerned look on the old man's eyes, "Here are her credentials" the senior officer pulled out a tablet and showed it to the old man. Every award and certification the blonde had was in there and being an expert on Aikido, it would be an understatement to say she was more than qualified to protect Mei.

"All right. I'm sorry for doubting you. If Mei has no objections, then please take care of my granddaughter Okogi-san." The older man bowed respectfully in Yuzu's direction before weakly stretching an arm out to Goro which the latter gladly takes with a firm shake before saying "That's decided then."

"Aihara Mei-san, please stay with your grandfather for tonight and tomorrow Yuzu will move into your apartment." Goro gave a small nod in Yuzu's direction but the blonde was feeling a little out of it. This was all going so fast, so much was happening all at once.

Goro then thanked the Aiharas for their time and excused himself and his two subordinates for the evening before heading back to the car and driving them to their respective homes.

"Goro-senpai, am I being removed from Doll Maker's case?" The blonde was worried she would no longer be able to work on the case but Goro made sure to explain it to her, "No, Okogi. You and Taniguchi will continue working as normal. You're just going to accompany Aihara Mei for the time being until her safety is ensured... besides, I know you live far. Isn't this good?"

"Goro-senpai... did you just weasel the Aiharas to get Yuzu-cchi free lodging?" The plum-haired girl jokingly asked her superior.

"Goro-senpai... I didn't know you cared about me so much. I'm touched." The blonde chimed into the teasing with fake tears in her eyes.

"Stop that!" The man commanded at his playful juniors before taking a deep breath and speaking, "Okogi, Taniguchi. I am very proud of your work today. I know you two will become brilliant detectives."

The two sat in silence, Goro was not a man who throws around compliments without serious appreciation behind them. Their senior's acknowledgment gave the girls a swell of pride and they thanked him for his kind words.

* * *

Notes:

Since Chapter 8's note section was getting long, I'll continue my rant here. I'm not sure how many chapters would be in this fanfic. I'd like to entirely flesh out Yuzu and Mei plus the complications of the case and the things that allowed it to get to this point.

The next few chapters will focus on lighter materials and further introduction of Kei since I did just throw in a sudden bump in tension, which I promise will make sense later. I already have a rough idea on how the major scenes and the ending will play out. I'm very excited to write those!

Thanks for everyone's reviews! It really helps a lot to know what everyone is thinking because it gives me a rough idea on how the story is being perceived so far.


	10. Chapter 10: A Daughter's Oath

When Yuzu got home, Ume was still up and a few cans deep in inebriation which was obvious when the brunette rushed over and gave her only daughter the tightest hug she could muster, "Yuzu~! Welcome back!" she squealed at the blonde still attempting to crush the younger girl in her arms.

"Mama! It hurts! Ouch!" The blonde protested when Ume squished her harder but the latter just brushed her off, "Stop being shy! You're still my little girl!" as she let go and motioned for her daughter to join her on the sofa. The blonde obliged since she also needed to tell her mother about her new assignment.

"Mama, there's this thing at work... a girl almost got kidnapped today." The blonde looked at Ume, trying to read off of her mother's reaction.

"What?! How is she?!" Empathy and kindness were always a trait of the Okogi family, Ume didn't even know the girl's name or face and yet she held such worry in her eyes as if she was asking about her own daughter.

"She's fine now, Mama. But-er, there's kind of this discussion related to it that I need to tell you about." Yuzu bit back her tongue for a few seconds before explaining to her mother about the decision made by the police chief to send her over as Mei's temporary bodyguard incognito until the whole issue brushes over. She also took great care in explaining the circumstances around the heiress's attempted kidnapping and her suspicions regarding the culprit. Ume didn't say anything, she just listened.

"So... I'm sorry, Mama. I won't be home for a while," the blonde's voice was laced with sadness at having to leave her mother's side. It was the first time she would be away for so long but Ume understood the implications of the job and she was nothing short of happy at the turn of events.

"Yuzu, you don't have to apologize. I've been meaning to speak to you about something as well. You see, I need to go to Korea for a few months because of work. I know it's sudden but I've been meaning to tell you this weekend when we go apartment shopping."

"Eeeeeeh, Mama! How could you not mention this earlier?!" The blonde fumed at her mother who sheepishly smiled.

"I wanted to tell you once we picked an apartment in Tokyo. I wanted you to be closer to Harumi and your work before I left and I guess I was just trying to find the right time to say it," Yuzu loved her mother greatly and Ume knew this. She knew the blonde would be lonely coming home to an empty house for an extended period of time so knowing she'd be living with someone lifted a heavy burden from Ume's shoulders.

"So, when are you leaving?"

"Hmm, in two weeks give or take a few days. The boss is still finalizing the rest of the team that'll go with me."

"And where will you stay there?"

"Seoul, mostly. We might visit one of the projects that's currently under development in Incheon but that's about it."

"For how long?"

"Around two months and a half, maybe three? I'll be here for your birthday of course." Yuzu was pouting shamelessly and Ume noticed the worry and panic in her daughter's questions but the blonde was already at an age where she should start spreading her own wings instead of clinging to her mother, "Yuzu, honey. Stop pouting." Ume giggled at the sight.

"I'm not pouting." The blonde answered without bothering to make good on her statement.

"Come here." Ume grabbed her daughter and held her tightly in a bear hug, stroking the younger girl's golden crown, "You'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it and besides, there's always video calling, right?"

The blonde just stayed in her mother's embrace, she thought even though she would move to the city for a while, she would still be able to visit her mother whenever she wanted to but the news that the older woman just broke to her had completely destroyed that comfort zone she built around her fear of leaving the nest... even if it was just for a few months she couldn't comprehend not being able to see her mother in person.

Ume knew the reason behind Yuzu's sadness and panic at having such distance between them, how could she not? Kyou had promised their daughter that he would come home that afternoon and help the girl hang her masterpiece on the refrigerator door, then the three of them would go out for ice cream at Yuzu's favorite shop... so Yuzu waited and waited until finally, a call came.

The brunette could still remember how she broke down and told Yuzu that her father would not be coming home that night. She remembered how during the funeral, the blonde fought back the tears and held her head high before carefully placing the portrait she had painstakingly completed, a crayon drawing of their family along with the cat she had been meaning to ask for, on top of her father's casket and the 3-year old girl whispering, "Don't worry Papa. I'll keep my promise. I'll protect Mama."

"Yuzu. I'll be back before you know it, okay?" Ume kept petting the blonde's head as the latter nodded in silence, face buried on her mother's shoulder. The younger girl had kept a strong front after her father's death and it wasn't until a few years later that she realized her inability to move on from his passing and that she had come to fear separation from her remaining parent.

"Now," Ume straightened the blonde and gave her a smile, "Why don't you tell me about the girl you'll be living with?"

Yuzu wiped a tear from her eye and nodded before returning her mother's smile and telling the older woman about Aihara Mei and how they first met. She spoke about how beautiful the girl was, then moved on to the raven-haired girl's intellect and capabilities before grunting in annoyance because of the girl's stubborn and condescending nature. The mother and daughter laughed merrily at each other's stories before finally calling it a day and retiring to their individual bedrooms.

The next day, all classes held in the business building was canceled under the guise of an obscure safety issue that the chairman made up in order to buy the police more time to process and clean the crime scene. It was also in the Aiharas' best interest since they could keep the whole event under wrap and even if a few rumors got out, as long as no one confirmed it, they would be able to avoid a scandal.

Goro had sent to Yuzu informing her that she was to pick-up Mei at 10 AM from the Aihara residence and the two of them would head towards the apartment together. It was already half past 8 and the blonde hadn't finished packing, 'Geez, why do I have to go so early!' she didn't expect the meeting time to be in the morning and she had spent the entire night talking with her mother, so none of her stuff had been packed.

A soft knock sounded from the door, "Come in!" Yuzu answered as she chose which outfits to bring.

"Good morning, Yuzu. What do you want for breakfast?" Ume asked after opening the door.

"Sorry, Mama! I'm out of time. Goro-senpai wants me to get Mei at 10 and I'm still packing!"

"Do you really need to bring that much?" Ume questioned as she gazed upon the number of boxes that were already piling on the blonde's floor.

"It's not THAT much!" The brunette sighed and left the room, grabbed her mobile and quickly asked her boss for a day off via text.

"Yuzu, I'll take you there and then we can have breakfast with your new friend."

"But what about work?"

"I already sent a message, they can't deny me a day off." The older woman haughtily flaunted.

"You're the best, Mama! and she's not my friend!"

5 large boxes later and Ume's SUV looked like they were both moving. Yuzu had obviously taken too many clothes on top of all the magazines and make-up she had. They drove through the town, keeping each other company and occasionally singing along to the songs on the radio. Time flew quickly and before they knew it, they were at the Aihara's residence.

Yuzu exited the car and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Mei emerged from the large double doors made of oak and followed Yuzu who introduced the raven-haired girl to her mother, "Mama, this is Aihara Mei."

"Hello, Mei-chan! I'm Okogi Ume, Yuzu's mother. It's nice to meet you." The older woman beamed brightly at Mei, she had the same bubbly aura about her that the blonde had.

"Good morning. I'm Aihara Mei, I'm terribly sorry for the burden I'm causing." She apologized with a sincere tone.

"Don't worry about it Mei-chan. I just recently told Yuzu here that I'm going to be away on business... if anything I'm glad she'll have you because just between you and me, she gets lonely a lot." The older woman grinned at the young Aihara.

"Anyway, Mei-chan. You really are beautiful. Yuzu wouldn't shut up about it and honestly, I'm starting to worry that she'll attack you in your sleep." The brunette was having a field day with having fun at her daughter's expense and it didn't help when Mei gave Yuzu a deadpanned 'WTF, really?' face causing the mother to laugh louder.

"Mama! Stop that! You're gonna make her think I'm a pervert!" Yuzu shouted at her mother with embarrassment.

A few more jabs at Yuzu and they were finally at a family restaurant where they ordered breakfast. Mei was amazed at the closeness between Yuzu and Ume, this level of affection between family members was such an alienated idea when compared to her household. It was like something straight out of a movie where actors are playing to a perfect ideal and she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"So, Mei-chan. Tell us about yourself." Ume attempted to start small talk with the raven-haired girl while they waited for the food.

"There's not much to say," Mei answered after a long pause.

"Hobbies? Family? Anything?" Yuzu tried giving her mother frantic eye signals in hopes that the older woman would stop asking the taller girl all these questions. By now she was aware of Mei's discomfort in private matters but to her surprise, the girl answered her mother's probing with little more than a slight tone of indifference.

"My grandfather runs the academy and my father is working on expanding the business abroad in Britain. I lived with him for a while after high school since the college I chose to go to is there."

"You work hard, huh? What about your brother and mother? Yuzu mentioned you had a brother." Mei's reaction was now different and for a brief second, she looked like she was trying to murder the blonde with her eyes, causing the latter to go pale and look away. Still, Mei answered in the same voice.

"My parents had divorced when I was 8. My mother took my brother with her when she left."

"I'm sorry for prying, Mei-chan. It seems I stepped on a sensitive issue and I know that must've been hard but hang in there."

As if to save Yuzu from having to deal with the ice queen's piercing glare, the waiter finally waltzed in and brought them their order. Yuzu wolfed down her breakfast while Mei ate hers gracefully, the two were like polar opposites, one being flashy and the other simple. It was a comforting sight to Ume as she thought both girls could learn a bit from each other.

Once they finished eating, Mei gave Ume the directions to the apartment and helped with moving Yuzu's belongings when they arrived."Mei-chan, Yuzu is a bit pushy but she's a good girl. Don't think too badly of her, okay?" The raven-haired girl nodded slowly, eyeing the blonde who had just entered the room with the last of her belongings.

"Yuzu! Don't be a bother to Mei-chan! Got it?!" She commanded at her own daughter, "I won't!" Ume then laughed and excused herself but not before giving both girls a tight hug and a warm farewell. Once she was gone, Mei looked at Yuzu and said, "You have a great mother," to which the blonde smilingly nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Aihara-san. Where would I be staying?" Yuzu looked at the raven-haired girl who motioned for her to follow.

"This is my room," Mei opened the door leading into a medium-sized bedroom with nothing but a double bed, a bookshelf and a study desk in it, "you'll be staying here while I sort out my father's belongings in the other room. You can put your clothes in the empty wardrobe by the window."

"Eh, but where will you stay?"

"I'll sleep on the couch until I get my father's room cleaned."

"No way! This is your house, I can't accept that."

"It's fine. I should have everything sorted out in a couple of days and then I'll move to the room."

"But Aihara-san, it doesn't feel right to steal your room."

Mei couldn't comprehend the reason behind Yuzu's guilt if anything the blonde was the one being forced to stay here for her sake. So someone's watching over her and yet the blonde lowered her head in shame as Mei explained the rooming situation. Why was it that just this person, this one girl, who she couldn't wrap her mind around.

"There's no way I can make you sleep on the couch, Okogi," there was an unshaken resolve in Mei's voice which eventually softened to her usual monotone, "I guess we can share the room until the other one is clean. I'll take the fu-"

"I'm taking the futon." Yuzu cut her off before she could finish her sentence, earning the blonde another annoyed growl but that didn't deter her, "and also, let me pay rent. I don't feel right living here for free." Mei's confusion increased tenfold in the last part of the sentence.

"Why would you pay rent when you are here because you were told to be?" Her previous thought had poured out her mouth.

"I'm not going to freeload off of you just because I was made to come here, and it's not like you asked for me to be here either," Mei noted a sense of conviction in Yuzu's words and she knew there was no dissuading the girl, so she thought of something else the girl could do as payment.

"I'm not going to take your money and it's pointless to argue about it but if you can cook, then I'll count on you for that." The blonde lit up, she was happy with Mei's request and with a wide smile, she answered, "All right, leave it to me! I'll be in your care, Aihara-san."

"Likewise."

* * *

Notes:

I actually enjoy writing these scenes with Yuzu and Ume.

Also, we all know Mei can't cook to save her life. I should make that the ending.

Villain: Cook a full course meal or the blondie dies!  
*Yuzu kills self to spare Mei's ego*


	11. Chapter 11: Phantom Tears

It's been a couple of days since Yuzu started living at Mei's apartment and there were a couple of things that the blonde had noticed about her new housemate. The first is that the girl barely spoke and on the rare occurrence that she did, it was only to tell the blonde to shut up or to ask her to move when she's in the way. Conversations were not going to happen, that much she knew by now.

The second thing was that Mei was a total workaholic shut-in. They go to school in the morning and Mei will spend extra hours at there to finish some document or organize a timetable, then back home she'll continue doing more work, homework or simply review lessons. There wasn't even a single time that she had stepped out of the house for entertainment purposes. The best Yuzu could think of was the one time she accompanied Mei to do groceries.

"Aihara-san, do you ever go out to have fun? It's already a weekend and you're still working." Yuzu spoke without thinking.

"There's much to be done. I find no interest in having to leave the house unless I need something." Mei gave her a straight answer, not even bothering to comprehend the context of the blonde's question.

Truth be told, the blonde had been expecting a lot more from the heiress. In her mind, someone of Mei's social status would mean constant partying and charity events, shopping for designer clothes and having some fancy tea party at a rich friend's house; yet the only person who has even come to see Mei was her drill-haired friend who affectionately called her 'Mei-Mei' while giving the blonde a fierce look, sort of like a chihuahua protecting its owner.

"Don't you get bored, Aihara-san?"

"No."

Mei only gave the blonde a short answer like this most of the time, if she was ever to be coerced into speaking, it would only be when they're speaking of something school-related and it always ends with Mei telling the blonde that even if she was just working undercover at the Academy, she should still strive to achieve acceptable grades in order to not tarnish the school's name.

Despite that, the past few days have been rather peaceful. The blonde was initially worried about how she would coexist with Mei considering the advances the latter had done on her when they were in the roof but to her surprise, nothing happened and she was feeling a little bit more comfortable in the other girl's presence. There was one more thing she had been extremely excited about and that was Mei's brother, Kei, who dropped by on the evening that she moved in.

Of course, the handsome man had no idea of the real reason why Yuzu moved in with Mei, making it fortunate that the raven-haired girl was a diligent person and thought of every possible scenario including one where she'll be asked why she suddenly allowed an outsider to exist in the same space, "She lives far and I live here alone. After the incident, grandfather thought it prudent for me to have someone to live with." she reasoned to her brother.

At the very least, Kei was aware of the attempted kidnapping on her sister but he was kept in the dark regarding Yuzu's actual circumstances and her line of work. For all the man knew, the blonde was simply a student who had transferred in and was now his younger sister's housemate.

At present time, the doorbell had rung, saving Yuzu from another afternoon of boredom and isolation. She was completely ready to jump into the arms of whoever her savior was and ran to the door, making sure that it wasn't someone suspicious before opening it. Yuzu had a scowl plastered on her face when the door opened it was Momokino Himeko with her chest puffed and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you answering the door, huh?" She sneered at the blonde.

"Why does it even matter who answers the door, Momokino-san?"

Yuzu could feel her blood boiling at the small girl's attitude but decided to hold back on scolding the rude drill-head, choosing to courteously invite her inside instead, "HMP! I don't need a delinquent to welcome me!" the girl said, attempting a poor imitation of Mei's condescending eyes before being interrupted by Mei, "Himeko?"

"Mei-Mei!" She yelled and ran to her friend, quickly pulling the girl into a hug, "Is this delinquent giving you trouble?!" asked the girl after letting go of Mei and pointing at the blonde who was still attempting to hold her temper at the blatant slandering of her character as if she wasn't in the room, "Hey! Why do you keep saying I'm a delinquent?!"

"Because you look exactly like one, you better not rub it off on my Mei-Mei!" the chihuahua had a large bark.

"That's enough, Himeko. She hasn't done anything, in fact, she's been very helpful with meal preparation."

Himeko continued glaring at Yuzu whom she felt was not only inferior to her beloved Mei-Mei but also an unwanted byproduct of the failed attack on her friend, to which the small girl was visibly annoyed, "Why do you have to live with this delinquent anyway, Mei-Mei? You can just live with me! There are tons of empty rooms at my house!"

That was it, Yuzu had just lost the last strand of her patience and decided to apprehend the girl, "Now you listen here you big eyebr-"Mei stretched her arm out in front of the blonde, silencing her, "Himeko, can we speak about what you actually came here for?" The raven-haired girl directed frigidly at the small girl who shivered at the low-key aggression directed at her, "O-of course!"

"I'll go make tea" The blonde grumbled and headed towards the kitchen as Mei gave her a nod of acknowledgment before she and Himeko took a seat on the four-person dining table.

"About what you asked, it's true that the man who attacked you is in my family's hospital. He's survived the operation but-" Himeko eyed the blonde who was busy preparing tea but intently listening to the conversation, "Mei-Mei, should she be hearing any of this?"

Mei looked at the blonde, impressed with the girl's decision to ask for Goro's permission on telling Himeko about the circumstances that led to them living together. Himeko is the only daughter of the Momokinos who owned the largest hospital in Tokyo, which coincidentally, was also the hospital that their suspect was in.

Yuzu thought it would be a good idea to count on Himeko's authority in the hospital. The only issue that had to be ironed out was if the Momokino heiress was trustworthy and Mei knew that she was, despite the childish personality.

"Actually, Himeko. There's something you should know." Mei started the conversation as Yuzu slowly emerged from behind the kitchen counter, served the tea and finally sitting down beside Mei. To Himeko, it was like a wife serving tea to her husband's guest.

"D-don't tell me!" Himeko had an odd look on her face, Yuzu could only describe it as the look of a person who just lost her soul.

"A-are you dating her?!" Mei and Yuzu sat still as the words registered in their brains, it was the blonde who reacted first, "WHAT?! NO?! I'm interested in her brother, not her!"

"So, you're only staying here because you want to bewitch Yukimura Kei and you're using Mei-Mei to get him?! You scum!" Himeko and Yuzu both pounded their palms on the table, eyes locked in a staring contest as they argued through growls and death stares. Mei hated this, the two were utterly intolerable whenever they met and she was starting to feel like a referee, "Both of you shut up!" she shouted while rubbing her temples.

"Himeko, that's not it. This girl," she motioned at Yuzu, "is a detective for the Tokyo Police Department. She was the one who found me that day."

The smaller girl sat back down, she stared at the blonde with a serious face before turning to Mei and saying, "Mei-Mei, since when did you learn to joke around about such matters?" snorting at Yuzu which made the blonde pop a vein.

"I'm not joking, Himeko. Okogi, why don't you show her your ID?" She told the blonde who in turn headed for the bedroom and returned with her police ID, handing it to the small girl who gladly examined it with critical eyes as if trying to find a flaw in it.

"Fine, I'll believe you because Mei-Mei said so."

"You little-"

"Enough, Okogi. Sit down. And Himeko, stop agitating her."

"If you say so, Mei-Mei."

"Can you please continue with what you were saying?"

"Of course, regarding the man who attacked you, survived the operation and is currently in recovery. We've been monitoring him for the past few days and his charts aren't looking too good. The first bullet had gone through his torso, entering from the lower back and exiting through the front. It collapsed one of his lungs but we were able to fix that."

"Now the issue is with the second bullet, it pierced him near the spinal cord, damaging it in the process and if you want my expert advice I'd say it's unlikely he would ever walk again even if he did survive this. Not that I feel bad for him after what he did," Yuzu flinched at those insensitive words, "however, not to be rude, but why exactly did you have me come here for this? The police would have eventually gotten word of this. They might already have." She questioned the blonde.

"Well, the truth is... I wanted to ask you for a favor." The blonde lowered her pride despite having disliked the snobbish girl.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Regarding the patient, could you let us know if you could possibly increase the security around him and only let doctors that you trust to treat him?"

"Why would I want to go through so much effort to protect a man who hurt Mei-Mei?"

"Because I don't believe he planned it or that he was working alone. The last thing we want is for the real boss to eliminate him. He's our only link to whoever wants Aihara."

Himeko was now showing a level of maturity that was previously absent. Her face told Yuzu that she was seriously considering the proposition that the blonde had suggested. In fact, it was within Yuzu's prediction that the aspiring doctor probably didn't care about the specifics as long as she was helping Mei, Himeko would do anything, "All right. I'll do it for Mei-Mei"

"One more thing, Momokino-san" If anyone suspicious attempts to approach the patient, have someone call me immediately."

When their conversation ended, Himeko excused herself and left. The conversation had taken longer than they anticipated and Yuzu only had a few minutes to prepare dinner if they wanted to eat on time, so she decided on something easy and quick-omurice.

Mei opened her book but stalled on reading, choosing to observe the blonde who was moving gracefully in the kitchen. It didn't matter what anyone said, Yuzu was in her best form whenever she was cooking and this was something that the raven-haired girl had found to be interesting to watch. 'She'd make a surprisingly good wife.' Mei thought as she remembered the blonde's words from earlier, 'Kei, huh?'

"Okogi-san" She called out to the blonde who was humming a tune.

"Hmm?"

"What do you like about my brother?" Mei asked while pretending to read the book she was holding.

"What do I like? Uh..." Yuzu thought about the question before finally answering, "It's kind of hard to answer that when you ask it all of a sudden but I guess it's cause he's nice, friendly and really handsome on top of that. I mean, who wouldn't have a crush on him?" the blonde ended with a laugh.

"So then, would you say that you love him?" This was a surprise, Yuzu had never expected Mei to speak to her in such lengths, especially not on the topic of love.

"Ah, well. I don't think I'm in love with him it's just that I find him very attractive and I enjoy hanging out with him but- I guess I would be really happy if he asked me out or something like that... It's kind of embarrassing to talk about this you, I mean... you must find it gross since he's your brother."

"I see, so is this discomfort that I feel right now, the disgust you're talking about?"

"Geez, Aihara-san. You didn't have to call it disgusting... how can you make fun of a maiden in love?!" The blonde stated in a joking manner as she served the newly cooked omurice.

"I... do not know what that feels like," Mei answered in a voice that was so low it may as well have been a whisper but Yuzu heard it loud and clear and she felt the need to give the raven-haired girl some comforting words on how love works, "Well for starters, you shouldn't kiss people you have no feelings for. Kissing should be a reaffirmation of your love!" She winked at Mei before sitting opposite of the girl.

When Mei didn't answer, Yuzu had felt like she might've said too much and the rest of dinner went on in silence, ending when Mei finished her food and excused herself from the table. When the dishes were clean, Yuzu jumped in the bath and returned to the bedroom only to find Mei working on a few documents again, just like every night.

She bid her roommate goodnight and tucked herself into the futon which she placed perpendicular to the foot of the bed. Not long after and she had drifted off to dreamland... only to be woken by the raging of her bladder at 2 AM. The blonde quietly made her way to the toilet and gulped down a glass of water before returning to the room.

Slowly making her way back to the futon, she heard Mei shuffling on the bed and thought she had woken the girl but it quickly became apparent that the girl was dreaming and she looked like she was having a bad dream, Yuzu approached the struggling girl and wasn't sure what to do.

The blonde noticed tears falling down the other girl's face, the moonlight had allowed them to be more visible in the dark and Yuzu felt pity for the crying girl, "You have it rough, huh?" she whispered while wiping a tear from Mei's cheek. To her surprise, the girl grabbed her hand and held it so tightly. Like a child looking for warmth and protection from the dark.

Yuzu didn't have the heart to forcefully pull her hand away from Mei's grip, so she slowly snuggled beside the girl being careful not to accidentally pull too hard on her captured hand.

* * *

Notes:

Let's talk a bit about the portrayal of Mei. I believe that due to her upbringing, Mei is somewhat oblivious to feelings of affection and while she understands it to some basic concept, she is not immediately capable of recognizing them. While the Mei I wrote is a bit more talkative than the original material when we talk in regards to her feelings, she still follows the idea of what makes Mei, well... Mei.

* * *

I'm glad that this fanfic is being enjoyed and giving inspiration for others to update theirs. Let the lazy motivate the lazy! :D


	12. Chapter 12: Colliding Emotions

"Holy shit!" Harumi ran over to Yuzu who was sitting on their usual spot near the back, her cheek being partially covered by her hand but not well enough that Harumi wouldn't notice it was completely swollen, "What happened to you?!"

The blonde looked at her friend and held a finger in front of her lips in an attempt to subtly ask the plum-haired girl to keep quiet, "Harumin! Shhh!"

"My sister happened, that's what," Kei said with a smile plastered on his face, teasing the blonde.

Harumi's face contorted to a mixture of annoyance and something dangerously close to rage, she could forgive a lot of things but inflicting physical harm on her best friend was inexcusable, no matter what. After all, Harumi was convinced that the blonde gyaru wasn't capable of harming a fly, she was much too innocent for that.

Yuzu watched her the friend's face turn grim and immediately tried to put a lid on the girl's bubbling rage, "Harumin, it's not what you think. It was completely my fault, okay?"

"You look like you got punched by a bear, Yuzu-cchi. How could it be your fault?!" There was anger in Harumi's voice and fire in her eyes but she kept her voice low enough to avoid starting a commotion in the classroom.

"Harumi, why don't you take a seat and I'll tell you in her stead. Blondie here can barely talk through that swollen cheek." Kei playfully poked the afflicted area, causing the girl to whimper in pain and drop her head on the desk as Kei retold Harumi what Yuzu narrated to him a few minutes ago...

Mei's slowly weaned from sleep when she felt that the room was unusually hot even thought winter was nearing. She tried to move her limbs but she was unable to do so on account of something heavy weighing her down on the bed, sending her into a panicked state. Her eyes flung open and she could barely make out a head lying on top of her chest and an arm wrapped around her waist.

In the darkness of the room, it was impossible for Mei to discern who 'it' was or whether 'it' was even human or a dream. All she knew was that she had to get away from it but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free. So, she retaliated by jerking her arm as hard as she could, hoping to finally escape but instead, she hit 'it' and 'it' screamed in pain then fell off the bed.

Mei ran towards the light switch and flipped them on before heading over to whatever had fallen on the window-side of the bed, hidden from her sight. Slowly inching towards the window, she came face to face with the 'it,' that 'it' being Okogi Yuzu. The blonde was on the floor and wincing in pain at her face which had been hit by Mei's adrenaline-fueled punch.

Kei narrated the story to an air-deprived Harumi, she was now laughing her ass off while the blonde gave the two of them a look of utter annoyance, "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it off, you traitors."

"Why did you even crawl into her bed?" The plum-haired girl choked through bouts of laughter and Kei wasn't doing any better, barely holding back his tears.

Yuzu simply pouted and didn't give an answer to Harumi's question, she felt like it would be breaching Mei's privacy to tell them that the raven-haired girl had been crying in her sleep or that she looked like she needed something, anything to hold onto. Any form of warmth that would make her feel safe in the cold of the night when no lights shone.

A soft touch on Yuzu's cheek was enough to pull her away from the memories of last night and she looked up at who was touching her, it was Mei with a look on her face that Yuzu had never seen before. The raven-haired girl looked genuinely sorry for what she had done, even going to the trouble of approaching the blonde in school.

"Sorry," The raven-haired girl pulled her hand away from the blonde and looked away in shame.

"It's really okay, Aihara-san. It was my fault anyway."

"Well, you're not entirely wrong on that but still," Mei thought it best to stop talking as she saw the professor walk in, "we'll talk later," she said before walking off to the front row. Yuzu noted that Himeko was not present in class today, which made sense considering she was a Medicine student. 'I guess Momokino-san only came to sit-in before.' she thought to herself.

"Hey, Yuzu." Kei whispered, "how about I treat you to the best ramen ever as payment for that cheek?" he invited her with a smile.

Yuzu didn't know how to react, she knew Kei was only offering because of what Mei had done and as her brother, he probably felt a little responsible but the blonde couldn't help feeling a bit of happiness with the attention she was getting from her crush.

"Sure!" she answered him. "All right, lunchtime then. You can come along if you want, Harumi." He offered towards the plum-haired girl but Harumi wasn't the type to be crude and she knew this was Yuzu's chance to go on a date with Kei, so she politely declined. Besides, someone had to watch over Mei while the blonde enjoyed her lunch with prince charming.

Yuzu usually spent the entire day with Mei, including lunch, which meant that this little adventure would've left Mei without her bodyguard and Harumi knew the blonde would worry over that. So, she decided to let the blonde know she would willingly step in for the day, preferring to do it discretely through text.

Harumi: Yuzu-cchi!

Yuzu: Why are you texting when you're beside me?

Yuzu: You want our mobiles confiscated that bad?

Harumi: Jeez. ಠ.ಠ

Harumi: I just wanted to tell you I'd take over watching Prez. today.

Harumi: Enjoy the date! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Yuzu: OMG, Harumin. (┳◇┳)

Yuzu: You. Are. The. Best.

Harumi: NP! Repay me with a coupon or something!

Yuzu: I will!

When lunch rolled in, Harumi headed towards Mei and explained the situation to which the raven-haired girl only replied, "Oh..." before looking away and starting to her usual break routine which consisted entirely of eating a sandwich while finishing some paperwork for the school. Harumi followed her to the office and lounged on one of the longer sofas placed at the corner of the room.

"Taniguchi-san, you don't have to be here," Mei told the girl who was obviously very bored to be sitting there without anything to do.

"Nah, it's K prez. I want Yuzu-cchi to enjoy her date as much as possible and she wouldn't be able to if she thought you were alone," she then sat properly and crossed her legs before continuing, "isn't it amazing? Three years of high school and we didn't say a word to each other and now here we are."

Mei nodded in agreement, she wasn't proud of her inability to communicate with people but in between learning what it took to succeed the Academy and the Aihara name, being the student council president and also the constant pressure of expectation, friendship and human contact had been abysmally low on her list of things to do during high school. Even now she wasn't sure about how to deal with actual human socialization, unless it was business-related then she had no issues.

"But Prez., you sure haven't changed even after all these years." There was a drop of sadness in Harumi's tone, she pitied this girl who lived her entire life for the sole purpose of inheriting her family's name and business. The girl whose only goal in life was to further the ambition of the dying man she called grandfather. Mei may not feel the same way she did but that only made the heiress more pitiful in Harumi's eyes.

Mei didn't say anything, she just acknowledged everything Harumi said and kept her hand busy with writing and filling up forms. She wasn't good at dealing with these situations, usually, she would tell the other person to shut up so she could work in peace but Mei held a lot of respect for the Taniguchis. Besides, Harumi wasn't wrong in her assumption, so the raven-haired girl chose silence.

At the same time, Kei and Yuzu were headed to a ramen restaurant. The man's blue eyes had carefully scanned through the menu before offering it to the blonde and suggesting a couple of dishes from the menu, keeping the girl's condition in mind as he went.

"I think I'll just have the regular ramen, anything else might be hard for me to eat." Yuzu touched her battered cheek before sighing in defeat. Mei wasn't muscular in any way, she never even saw the girl workout, so the blonde came to the conclusion that Mei's strength came from all the paperwork she carried around and the hours she spent signing and filling them through the years.

"So, Yuzu. How do you like Mei?" Kei casually asked as he slurped on his ramen.

"Hmm... She comes off as aloof and cold like a robot but I think... inside she's really just like everyone else." She thought about what she had seen in Mei since they met and how occasionally, cracks were seen on that frozen facade, like this morning. "Well, that's what I think anyway." she smiled at him.

"I see, I'm glad that you're getting along with her." Yuzu appreciated the man's sincerity but wondered why the siblings' relationship seemed strained.

"Kei, I don't know if I'm prying too much but I wanted to ask. Why do you two seem distant?"

"Well..." Kei took a sip from his tea before continuing, "when our parents divorced, my mother insisted on taking me and leaving Mei but before then we were inseparable. I guess to Mei it felt like she had been left behind in the Aihara household."

"The Yukimura business was still small then, we were barely heard off but Granpa Aihara took a leap of faith and accepted Mother as Father's bride. When the divorce came, Mother had taken me on the grounds that the Yukimura family needed a male heir to further our business and since the Aiharas were already established, they would have no trouble finding a suitable suitor for Mei."

There was a bitterness in those words and sadness in his eyes, Yuzu felt that Kei truly cared about Mei and that he was probably hurting just as much as Mei did after the divorce, "You rich people, I don't understand how your world works! Marrying for business? I'll only marry for love!" she proudly exclaimed, passion burning in her eyes.

Kei smiled faintly at the blonde and reached out to pet her head, slowly running his palm on the Yuzu's golden crown. "You're a kind girl, Yuzu. Don't ever let the world stain that brilliance," Yuzu looked down to avoid Kei's eyes, her face was burning up at the words that have just been spoken to her.

Lunchtime had almost ended and the two made their way back from the restaurant. Kei didn't have afternoon classes but he insisted on walking the blonde back to campus, arguing that he had soccer practice anyway and that it was no trouble, "You really don't have to walk me back, Kei. The meal was enough!"

"This is nothing. Besides, I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I didn't accompany a lovely lady like you, right?" He cheekily said towards the blonde before pulling her in by the shoulder, forcing her to walk closer. The blonde screamed internally. This was it, her ideal love story was finally happening.

"Say, Yuzu. We're having a game this weekend, would you like to come and watch?" He asked with slight embarrassment as he knew how it sounded, "I'd love it if you could come and cheer us on. Maybe you can get Harumi and Mei to come along as well."

"I'll see if I'm free and I'll ask them." she blushed, completely excited but trying not to sound too eager.

A few moments later and Yuzu caught on to the silhouette of a woman with freely flowing black hair dancing in the wind, she immediately recognized it to be Mei despite the distance. No one else had that regal aura after all. "Aihara-san!" she shouted at the raven-haired girl who acknowledged her presence and approached the blonde.

When the raven-haired girl was close enough, Yuzu leaped out of Kei's arm and approached the girl to say hi. Mei nodded at Yuzu and Kei approached the two, snaking his hand back on Yuzu's shoulder which the blonde tensed at, thinking it was a little awkward for this type of body contact while they were in front of his sister.

Mei just looked at Kei's hand around Yuzu's shoulder and the blonde felt like there was some sort of awkward tension in between them, so she decided to break things up, "Kei, I'll return to class with Harumin and Mei. Thanks for walking me all the way back here." she smiled at him and he returned the favor before heading out to the soccer field.

Harumi was walking a few meters behind Mei and Yuzu assumed that the raven-haired girl had just stormed out on her best friend, it was something Mei would do on a daily basis with her, "Okogi." the girl called her attention, "about your cheek... I'm really sorry." Mei reached out to touch the swollen part of Yuzu's face and the blonde overlapped her hand on Mei's.

Yuzu remembered her conversation with Kei about how Mei must've felt being abandoned by her mother and left by her brother at a young age. She was an only child and even though she eventually met and befriended Matsuri, Yuzu never forgot the loneliness of growing up alone and she couldn't forget the feeling of moving away from Matsuri. Mei must've been hurting more than she was.

"Aihara-san. I won't forgive you," The raven-haired girl flinched at those words, instinctively retracting her hand from the blonde's face but Yuzu held tightly onto her and continued, "if you want me to forgive you, then from now on we are not Okogi-san and Aihara-san... we're Yuzu and Mei."

For a moment, Mei felt like all the walls surrounding her heart had melted into nothingness... the blonde standing in front of her, bathing in the sunlight, looked very much like an angel who fell from the heavens. Even her words sounded like a melody and the undeniable warmth radiating from her smile captivated Mei, forcing her into submission with a muffled, "Yes."

* * *

Notes:

Regarding the schedule of updates, there is no set day or number of chapters that I release. I write when I have free time (which is a lot because I'm lazy and don't do much) and if I don't have issues going creating a chapter, then I release almost every day.

I also often release more than 1 chapter at a time, I'm terribly sorry if some of you get confused about which part you're in because of this. It's just that I prefer to keep the chapters within 2,000 words, so I often cut the chapter before it hits 3,000. If the scene I had planned wasn't completed within those 2,000 then I write the next chapter and so on.


	13. Chapter 13: Pieces of a Puzzle

A cold breeze blew past the open window, pushing past a pair of sheer curtains and heading towards the exposed face of the blonde sleeping on the bed. The sudden chill caused the girl to toss and turn while trying to cover her face with the duvet she was wrapped in. The girl squinted her eyes hoping to sleep a bit more but- 'ring,' the alarm clock sounded, ending all hopes of continued slumber.

Yuzu slowly opened her eyes and reached for the alarm clock that sat on the side of the bed, right on top of a wooden nightstand painted in white. Glancing across the room, she remembered that she was now sleeping in the room that belonged to Mei's father. The other girl had finished cleaning it and Yuzu asked if she could sleep in there instead so that Mei wouldn't have to move her clothes.

The blonde got up and headed for the bathroom to freshen up before heading to the living area where the raven-haired girl was already dressed for school and passing time by reading a fantasy book that Yuzu only knew because it had become a worldwide phenomenon. She even watched the TV show but gave up on it because the themes were too dark for her.

"Good morning, Mei!" she gave the girl a warm greeting accompanied by a wide grin.

"Good morning." the other girl greeted back without lifting her head from the book, "I didn't know you liked that book. I used to watch the TV series but then they kept killing a bunch of characters and it got so depressing and-" Yuzu was narrating the entire story without concern for Mei's progress which annoyed Mei to no end. The blonde had this particular airheaded nature about her most of the time.

"Yuzu." the blonde stopped talking when she heard her name, it was the first time the raven-haired girl was calling her that instead of Okogi, "You're spoiling it." the girl deadpanned with a hint of annoyance at the blonde who apologized profusely before serving breakfast.

"Ah, Mei. Since we only have morning classes today, I'm gonna drop you off at the Aihara residence because I need to meet with Harumi and Goro-senpai after lunch."

"I'd prefer to stay here." Mei placed her book down and started eating.

"But Mei, I can't leave you alone. You know that, right?"

"I'll be fine here."

"No, Mei, that's not how it works. I can't just assume you'll be fine on your own. Geez, why are you being so stubborn today?"

"Because I see no need to stay at the mansion just because you'll be gone for the afternoon."

It was true, the building that Mei lived in was pretty secure, there were security cameras all over and the elevators even required special keycards in order to work. The stairs are constantly locked on the ground floor but were open on every subsequent floor, allowing residents to easily escape in case of an emergency while also baring non-residents from using it.

"Fine, but don't leave the house until I'm back," the blonde sighed in defeat before taking a bite from her toast.

In class, the usual banter took place. Yuzu got to her seat and started talking with Harumi, soon after Kei joins them, "Yuzu, wanna hang out after class?" asked the blue-eyed man with the usual smile on his face, his voice was loud enough that Mei could hear them from where she was sitting and discomfort gripped her heart.

"Ah, sorry. Me and Harumi are going shopping later," the blonde lied since she couldn't tell Kei that they were going to a meeting regarding a serial killer and a bunch of other police-related topics, "Aren't you gonna invite me?" he had a slight pout on his face that Yuzu thought was absolutely adorable.

"Kei-san! That won't do. It's a girls' day out, got it?!" Harumi jokingly saved Yuzu from the situation without making Kei feel left out or unwanted, "Fine but you owe me a date now, Yuzu." He sheepishly smiled at the girl before ruffling her carefully styled blonde hair.

"Stop ruffling my hair!" she protested but the offender just messed it up more to annoy her, "You spend so much time with Mei, spend some with me too!"

"Don't worry, we're coming to your game."

"Good! I'm looking forward to your cheering," he answered with a wider smile and that made the blonde feel excited about the coming weekend.

After school, Harumi went with Yuzu and they dropped Mei off at the apartment. Making sure that the girl knew who to call and what to do before heading to the cafe that they frequently visited with Matsuri and Nene. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air as the duo entered.

"Okogi-san, Taniguchi-san, long time no see." the man smiled at them, "You too, Udagawa-san. How's business?" the plum-haired girl asked the nerdy looking man working behind the counter, "It's been good. Matsuri-san and Nene-san have been dropping by every day as usual too. So there's always something to laugh about."

Udagawa is a quiet man who preferred working in the background with a smile on his face. Simply listening to the world around him was enough for him to feel like he's socializing. Yuzu always thought that owning this cafe suited the man, "That's great Manager! I'm happy you're enjoying running this place now."

The blonde thought back to when the cafe had newly opened. She was still in high school then and just happened to be invited by her friends to the newly opened Café au lait. When they entered, they were greeted by a younger Udagawa who seemed so awkward at handling guests that he might pass out from the over-energized greeting of Yuzu's friends.

Yuzu became a regular at the cafe since then and eventually, she and Udagawa became friends. The blonde had been the one cheering the cafe owner whenever he felt like giving up on his little shop, often telling him to follow his dreams and never give in, words that she herself lived by.

"Yes, it's quite enjoyable. Anyway, what will you two have today? It's on the house." He gave a warm smile which the two gladly reciprocated with a thank you before heading off to their favorite spot at the corner of the cozy cafe.

The door chimed once more and Goro came into view, completely hiding the two girls that were standing behind him. "Ah! Yuzu-chan!" Matsuri was the first to speak, running towards the blonde and crushing her in a hug, "It's been a while, Matsuri" the blonde answered, returning the hug. She hadn't seen the pink haired girl since the weekend before Aihara Academy started.

"Matsuri, you're as clingy as always." Harumi commented on the pink-haired girl's childish tendencies whenever her 'older sister' was concerned. "Should I tell you a secret?" she made fun of the little devil who retaliated by burning a glare straight into Harumi's hazel eyes, "Taniguchi-senpai, why do you try to look like a gyaru when you're actually a diligent girl?"

A few seconds later and a fight erupts. Harumi and Matsuri started screaming obscenities at each other while Nene and Yuzu tried to subdue their respective partners. Goro sat silently on his seat until he had enough and shouted at the girls to quit their childish banter.

"We're not here to play games." the older man scolded the girls before asking Matsuri to hand over the folder she was holding and beginning, "We found the suspect's identity yesterday. It took a long time because he didn't have any personal items on him but someone reported a missing person and we were able to confirm that it was our suspect." Goro handed out documents to Harumi and Yuzu.

"His name is Homura Makoto, 17 years old and a third-year student at a nearby public high school. He's had a few run-ins with the law, some of which are theft and violence related to altercations with kids of the same age," Yuzu looked at the photo clipped on the file, it portrayed a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes a few shades darker than Harumi's.

"The person who reported him missing was his sister, Homura Mio, 28 years old. From what she told us, the suspect was a bit of a troublemaker and often got into brawls because of his personality, hence the offenses against him. She doesn't know about the suspect condition yet. Okogi, Taniguchi, I want the two of you to accompany her to the hospital and brief her. Get any useful information from her as well." The two nodded in agreement, "Now, regarding the mobile phone's content, Mizusawa will update you."

"Right, I've collected the call and text logs on the phone. Most of them were personal messages except for one particular number which you'll see at the top of the list." Harumi and Yuzu flipped their documents over and checked on a list of mobile numbers and text messages, "the number 080-xxxx-xx51, there are also messages from this number which confirms that this guy wasn't working alone."

Yuzu looked at the messages received from the number that Matsuri mentions. There wasn't a lot and it was pretty cryptic ranging from 'What are you waiting for?' to more threatening messages like 'You know what will happen if you don't do it, right?' or even 'She won't get hurt and no one will ever know that it's you.' as if trying to wean the boy to the idea of kidnapping the Aihara heiress.

"Unfortunately, that mobile is a burner. We've tried tracing it but it's probably been disposed of at this point." Matsuri continued.

"So, in the end, we can only hope that this guy wakes up, eh?" Harumi repeatedly tapped at Homura Makoto's photo while speaking, "What time will the sister arrive?" she continued, directing the question to their superior, "Around 2 PM. We have an hour to finish this update before she comes," he answered her.

"Now, regarding the matters at the academy," Goro looked at Nene who seems to be too busy tapping on her phone instead of listening to the briefing, "have you two found anything?" he continued right after flicking the raven-haired girl's forehead.

"No, Harumin's been speaking to people left and right and we've been watching movements in the school but there's nothing out of the ordinary and there's no rumor going around or anything like that. Maybe we jumped the gun on the connection?" The blonde felt a little guilty. She had been "playing" around compared to Harumi who had been hard at work forming bonds and gathering information.

"And Aihara Mei? Have you asked her regarding any strange reports around the school?"

"Yes, she was nice enough to let me into the records but we found no recent report of a stalker or any abductions around the vicinity of the school... well, aside from her own." Goro stared at the blonde who shyly scratched her head at the lack of results, "Let's not worry if we jumped the gun on this. It's only been half a month, giving it a bit more time won't hurt." he said.

"Oh! before I forget, Mei managed to convince Momokino-san to give preferential treatment to Homura Makoto. He'll be watched over and only staff trusted by the family would be allowed near him," Goro nodded in acknowledgment and asked regarding the suspect's condition, "... She said that there's a chance he would survive but the possibility of permanent damage would be high."

"As long as his memory isn't impaired, we can work with him and there's one more thing I want to discuss with you, Okogi. The chief is already feeling a little pressure from the public and he decided to bring in a profiler, Shiraho Suzuran. I believe you're acquainted with her?" Yuzu nodded, she knew the older girl since the time she was studying at the police academy.

"Shirapon-senpai," The blonde answered to verbally confirm her nod.

"Yes, she will be visiting you and Aihara Mei at some point in the next week. Chief's orders. He wants to assess her mental state after the attack."

"Why would the old man be worrying so much about a victim?" Yuzu knew the reason behind the venom in Matsuri's inquiry. Matsuri's mother worked long hours and Chief Mizusawa was a man who took his job seriously as such, Matsuri was mostly left alone at home until Yuzu moved into their neighborhood and befriended the girl. She understood the pink-haired girl's frustration.

"Looks like it's a direct request from the Aihara patriarch," Goro answered.

"Why do the police have to do that for them? They have enough money to hire a shrink for that." Matsuri continued to argue.

"Because Aihara Mei would refuse and Shiraho Suzuran is an old acquaintance of hers, not a police asset." The only other auditory sound that passed from Matsuri was the loud flicking of her tongue just before Nene broke out in a loud scream, "AH! I knew that name sounded familiar!" The raven-haired girl spoke.

"What are you on about now lazy bum?" Matsuri stared at the girl who excitedly kept tapping on her phone before showing it to the group, "A couple of months ago someone had called the police station regarding a domestic disturbance. The caller never gave their name and the police who responded had given me the testimony of the woman. I was supposed to file them away and well, here it is."

Harumi took Nene's phone and started reading the incident report, "Possible domestic abuse at xx district, the caller is unknown but the woman who answered the door introduced herself as Homura Mio and stated that she lived in the house with her brother but that they did not know of any domestic disturbance in the area."

"Wow. Nene is actually useful for something," said Matsuri while genuinely impressed at the information provided by the raven-haired girl. Goro also praised Nene, rewarding her with a light pat on the head before reminding Harumi and Yuzu of their meeting with the Homura Mio and excusing himself.

Yuzu looked at Nene and proudly praised the girl for her efforts before excitedly shouting her thoughts, "This might be a lead!"

* * *

Notes:

Wants fluff but can't fluff because plot. The incoherent ramblings of my mind at the moment.


	14. Chapter 14: The Grey Inbetween

Harumi and Yuzu were having a playful banter over a couple of topics; For one Yuzu was making fun of Harumi's inability to deal with Matsuri, stating that the older girl should know better than to jump into the younger one's provocations. Harumi, on the other hand, teased Yuzu about Kei and an admirer she kept alluding to but the blonde was not aware of. "What are you talking about? No one likes me!" she protested.

"Yuzu-cchi, you really are pure... and dense. I feel sorry for that person now," Yuzu didn't like being kept in the dark, she's been trying to get Harumi to fess up for over 20 minutes now but the other girl just enjoyed giving her the usual runabouts without ever actually giving her a proper hint, much less a name. "You're just playing with me! I know it!"

"If you say so, Yuzu-cchi," Harumi was getting ready to utterly burn Yuzu when she noticed a girl with long strawberry blonde hair walk into the police station, looking around as if to spot someone before approaching the front desk and speaking to the officer. "Do you think that's Homura Mio?" Harumi pointed at the girl.

Yuzu followed Harumi's direction and noticed the woman who was now conversing with the desk sergeant. The blonde decided to approach the girl and confirm. There was no point in waiting for her to approach them anyway, "Hello! Are you Homura Mio?" she smiled at the girl who was surprisingly much taller up close.

"Ah, yes," the girl looked down, unsure of what to say and the blonde caught onto her struggle. " I'm Okogi Yuzu and this is Taniguchi Harumi, we're the detectives who're accompanying you today." Yuzu offered her hand, hoping to ease her nervousness and get the girl to open up to them.

"I see. I'm in your care. Thank you for meeting me." Mio gave a slight bow, then extended her right arm to shake Yuzu's hand.

"Not at all, thank you for coming and Homura-san, I'm gonna ask you to keep calm through our conversation. Also, we'll need to ask you a few questions, would that be okay?"

"Yes. I'll do my best to help."

"That's it then, ready to go?" Harumi waved the keys to Goro's car which their senior courteously lent them with one request... that they don't crash it, which was Goro's code for 'Okogi better not be driving.'

Momokino General Hospital is roughly a 25-minute drive from the police station and Yuzu thought that would be enough time to tell Mio about her brother, Makoto. The blonde still wasn't sure on how to start the conversation because she knew the right words needed to be said... this was someone's brother and not just a suspect. If she messed it up, the woman might refuse to co-operate and that was something they needed to avoid at all cost. She wasn't too eager on upsetting anyone either.

"Mio-san, I know I already mentioned it but I want you to stay calm and listen to what I say, okay?" The blonde watched the older woman's reaction through the rearview mirror. Her anxiety lowered upon seeing a determined yet calm look on Mio's face as she answered in agreement to Yuzu's request.

"A week ago there was an attempted kidnapping on one of the students from a nearby university. I was at the scene and also the one who called the incident in. Fortunately, the kidnapper hadn't left the campus yet and we were able to apprehend him before any harm came to the girl."

Yuzu once again glimpsed at the rearview mirror, she was trying to gauge how the older woman was reacting to her narrative and wasn't surprised to find that she had a look of confusion followed by a question, "I'm glad that the girl is okay but... what does this have to do with me? You don't mean..."

"Well... the thing is when we cornered the suspect he acted violently and was shot in order to protect the victim," Yuzu could taste the bitterness in her tongue, she felt like she was lying at this moment despite those being the true events, "He survived and was brought to the hospital where he had surgery in order to save his life. We didn't know who he was so he was called John Doe when he arrived." Yuzu kept her eyes on Mio who now sported a look of dread on her face but didn't say anything.

"We were wondering if you could positively identify him for us." Silence followed her question. There was no sound in the car except for the uncontrolled, ragged breath of the woman who sat on the back seat and the beating of Yuzu's own heart, nervous at how the woman would react. "I- Before we get there, can I know what's his status?" Mio finally answered.

"I don't know if you'd want to hear it from us. The doctor can give you a better abstract but if you're fine with just the basics... he's alive though there might be irreparable damage to his body." The blonde paused, knowing it would be hard for the sister to hear the other things she was going to say, "He might never walk again and currently he hasn't woken." Muffled sobs rang through the interior of the car as the thoughts registered into Mio's mind. Even Harumi and Yuzu couldn't help but reflect a similar shade of sadness in their eyes.

No other words were spoken until they got to the hospital. Harumi had arranged for them to be escorted to the suspect's room and Yuzu quietly stayed with the older woman, choosing to remain silent but available, as if to comfort the puffy-eyed strawberry blonde who had just stopped crying. When they arrived in front of the room, Yuzu made sure that Mio was ready before they entered. Motioning for Harumi to postpone opening the door.

"Are you sure you're ready to see him?" she questioned her. Mio simply gave a weak nod before answering, "No matter what he did. He's still my brother and I love him. I won't run even if it's him sleeping on that bed." There was sincerity on those words, however, Yuzu wasn't referring to the crime, rather she wanted to know if the woman was ready to see her brother's state, " Sorry, I meant if you're ready to see him... in his current state."

Mio appreciated the kindness displayed by the blonde detective and gave her a warm smile before answering, "Yes. Thank you for worrying about me." Yuzu gave Harumi a nod and the plum-haired girl opened the door, letting themselves in. A soft breeze brushed past them through the open window of the stark white room and at far corner sat the patient's bed, supporting the young man with light brown hair.

Yuzu watched as Mio approached the sleeping boy, tears falling unabiding from her eyes. "It's you...," she whispered, "Makoto... what have you gotten yourself into?" the two detectives decided to let the woman have some space. They sat on the far side of the room in order to not bother Mio who was now sitting on a stool beside the bed and holding her brother's hand. She just kept on crying and squeezing the young man's hand as if she believed that gripping just a little harder would wake him.

"This sucks," Harumi was the first to look away from the weeping girl, "I know he did all that but..." the plum-haired girl sighed and closed her eyes in an attempt to clear the tears welling up, "looking at this just makes me feel terrible, you know?"

Yuzu understood how Harumi felt and this wasn't the usual case either. Chances were that the Makoto was coerced into doing what he did and that just made the guilt of watching Mio weep over her comatose brother all the more soul-crushing. "I know what you mean, Harumin." she empathized with her friend, propping her head on the wall and looking up at the ceiling. They sat in silence, allowing the woman's tears to consume the space.

When Mio finally calmed down, Harumi called in the attending physician so he could give an update on Makoto's status. As expected he hasn't shown signs of waking though his body was slowly healing. According to the doctor, his coma might just be due to shock and he might wake-up at some point but if it's related to his spinal injury then there's a chance he would never open his eyes again.

Bitterness showed on Mio's face and it was understandable, no matter what he did, as she said, she still cared and loved her brother. It must've been excruciating to know he might stay in this vegetative state forever. The doctor discussed a few more small matters such as caring for a comatose patient and certain expectations on Makoto's condition, then he excused himself and left the room.

"Mio-san, this might be hard to do now but we do need to ask you a few questions." Yuzu looked at Mio who quietly sat beside Makoto's bed, her hands rested on her lap as she kept her eyes on the floor, "If you get uncomfortable, we can stop at any time and continue another day." The blonde tried reassuring the grieving woman.

"I'm sorry but let me ask you something first. Do you know why he did it?" Mio asked while still keeping her eyes on the ground.

Yuzu looked at Harumi and they exchanged a knowing look as if to question each other's opinion on revealing the circumstances around her brother's attempted kidnapping of Aihara Mei. "We believe that he was blackmailed into doing it but we don't know by who." Harumi finally answered and the strawberry blonde suddenly looked up, her auburn eyes burned with determination. "I'll answer any question you have even if it takes us all day."

Yuzu smiled at Mio's sudden but firm answer, "We'll be counting on you then." the blonde then pulled out her notebook and readied a pen. Harumi, on the other hand, preferred listening so she always kept a recorder ready and started recording the interview.

"All right, let's start." Harumi pressed the record button and placed the gadget on a nearby table before asking the woman to introduce herself and answer some basic questions such as the confirmation of the suspects' identity and a few other personal details which the older girl answered with ease.

"Mio-san, can you confirm if this is your brother's phone?" Yuzu handed a ziplock with a mobile phone inside and Mio received it, inspecting the item before asking if she could open it. The blonde nods in agreement and Mio takes the phone out, unlocks it and starts looking at the photos before returning it and confirming that it was Makoto's phone.

"Yes, that's his phone." she says to the detectives.

"Then do you recognize this number? 080-xxxx-xx51." Harumi read the number out loud but as expected it wasn't a known number.

"No... not that I know of. I'm sorry." Mio apologized.

"It's alright, Mio-san. We thought it might be a burner cell, so it's not really a surprise." Yuzu eased the older woman before asking another question, "Mio-san, can you tell us a bit about how Makoto-kun?"

"Makoto... is my half-brother from my mother's second marriage. My father died early and she ended up remarrying when I was 9. We were happy together and a year and a half later, Makoto was born. He was such a happy child." Mio smiled a bit, "but... 5 years later, my step-father had gotten into business with some shady people and not long after, he left us along with a huge debt. Turns out he had been gambling our money away."

"My mother, being unable to accept his departure and the harassment from the people we owed money to, eventually took her own life. So, when Makoto was 7, we had become orphans. My grandmother on my mother's side took us in and we were happy for a while but oba-san was already falling ill and it didn't take long for her to succumb to sickness. Makoto loved oba-san and he was hurt deeply by her passing. On top of that, I had to start taking part-time jobs in order to support us." Mio's words gripped tightly at Yuzu's heart.

"I guess it was around that time that he started becoming quieter, more temperamental. He essentially closed himself off and it only got worse as time went on. I got called to his school, started picking him up from the police station. He became distant and yet, he was still kind. I made poor choices in my life but he always protected me no matter what.

Mio reached out to her brother and pushed a few strands of hair away from his face and cupping the young man's cheek, "He was such a gentle boy."

"I'm sorry, Mio-san" Yuzu fought back the tears as she listened to the woman's story. She knew she had to be professional but these type of things always scratched her soul. Harumi gave Yuzu a pat on the back, urging her to take a few breaths and continuing the interview in her stead. "Mio-san, do you know who might've coerced your brother into this or any suspicious people he's been engaging with?"

"No. He got into fights and hanged out with rebellious teenagers but they aren't the type to do something like this. Steal a few items, maybe, but definitely not kidnapping."

"I see," Harumi held her chin and thought for a few seconds before continuing, "How about his actions? Was he doing something out of the ordinary?"

"No, I don't think s- Ah! He was constantly fidgetting and looking at his phone. I asked him about it but he only said it was nothing, then left the house. He didn't come home until 2 AM, accompanied by my boyfriend who said he had found Makoto drinking in front of a convenience store... I don't know if that's helpful."

"We can check the convenience store. Can you give us the day it happened? Also, the clothes he was wearing and the location of the convenience store."

"He was wearing a blue hoodie with a monkey on it and a pair of jeans. I think it would've been around the beginning of April, just before school started. The store was a 7-11 on the corner of xx street at xx district if I remember correctly."

"One more thing, Mio-san. We found records of a possible domestic disturbance report with you filled as the owner of the house that it was reported from. Do you remember?"

"Ah, that was a misunderstanding. Nothing happened and I don't know who called it in." She answered Harumi's question and having run out of things to ask and leads to follow, the detective ended the interview. Pressing the stop button on her recorder.

"Okogi-san, Taniguchi-san. Thank you and please... find whoever did this." Mio pleaded to the detectives, her head held low.

"We will, Mio-san. For Makoto-kun and also the girl who was targetted." Yuzu answered the woman, coaching her to lift her head.

"If you don't mind me asking, would it be possible to apologize to the girl?"

"I could pass the message on for you." Yuzu smiled at Mio.

"Thank you. Please tell her that I apologize for what my brother had done. I know that doesn't make things right but from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry and if he ever wakes up, I'm going to drag him and we'll both bow and ask for forgiveness." Mio's eyes told Yuzu that the apology was genuine which made her chuckle a little.

"Mio-san, this is my number. Please make sure to contact me if anything happens or if you remember anything else." She handed a business card to the woman before saying, "I'm sure Aihara-san would look forward to that apology. So, please watch over your brother." The blonde gave the taller woman a wide grin, then turned around and headed for the door where Harumi was waiting for her.

Mio stayed in the room, looking at the business card with the name Okogi Yuzu written on it along with a mobile number. She gripped on the card so tightly that it had started to crumple under the pressure she exerted, eyes widening and teeth clenching as she whispered... "Aihara?"

* * *

Notes:

Aye, not much space so I'll keep it short:

Shiraho will be making an appearance on the next chapter! (￣∇￣;)))( ((((;＿⊿＿)

* * *

Also, I'm updating as fast as my time allows. Thank you for energetically reading this!


	15. Chapter 15: With Regards to Feelings

Cherry blossom trees swayed with every breeze that passed and the blonde couldn't help but stare in amusement at how beautiful the school was when you actually took the time to take it all in, "The academy is really relaxing." she directed at her companion as they both took a seat on one of the empty benches right in front of the main building.

"Yup. I heard that grandfather demanded to have these trees planted. I guess he must like them." Kei replied as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped a stray cream from the corner of the blonde's mouth, causing her to blush but making sure to properly thank him.

"These crepes are really nice, thanks for introducing me to that place!" The blonde smiled at the man beside her before taking another bite from her snack. She particularly enjoyed the mixture of blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream that tickled her taste buds and she wanted nothing more than to wolf it down but decided to be more careful with eating or else who would risk further embarrassing herself in front of Kei.

"A friend took me there once. You should thank her."

"Friend or girlfriend?" Yuzu sheepishly asked half-hoping she wasn't and also half-hoping she hadn't just asked that.

"Just a friend."

Kei and Yuzu had been hanging out whenever the blonde wasn't too busy accompanying Mei creating a sense of closeness between the two. Because of the new found comfort between them, the blonde willingly took a chance to ask Kei about his family. After all, it was like hitting two birds with one stone as it concerns the raven-haired girl as well, "Hey, Kei. What kind of family did you and Mei have before... you know."

"Well... there's not much to say. I mean, I was only 8 when Mom and Dad divorced," Kei looked up at the sky as if trying to remember fond childhood memories, "I do remember always being scolded though." he laughed and scratched his head in embarrassment.

"So you're the troublemaker, huh? Yuzu teased him and gave a soft jab on his shoulder, "I don't really see Mei being a troublemaker anyway. Forget seeing it, I can't even imagine it!" the two giggle a little at the idea.

"I didn't particularly excel at anything. Etiquette, studying, business, rules, that's what it means to be an Aihara. Mei was always smart, obedient and capable, on the other hand, I always performed just enough to be 'okay.' She excelled at everything and I... flunked? I guess" Kei looked down, planting his eyes firmly on the ground, "I guess I was a failure in grandfather's eyes. I mean, being Mei's twin does come with a lot of expectation."

Yuzu mentally kicked herself for letting her curiosity get the best of her. She caused the man to remember some unpleasant memories and she didn't really know what to say to him. Kei wasn't half bad, actually. He got good marks in class, was well-liked and a star of the soccer team. Mei might've been better in regards to the business and standards of the Aiharas but Kei was good at his own things.

"Jeez, I wanted to ask for fun memories. Why are you being all depressed now?" Yuzu took a bite from her crepe, then got up from the bench and stood in front of Kei, somewhat towering over him. She flicked his forehead, "You are not a failure, okay?" her emerald eyes burned directly at Kei's icy blue ones.

For Kei, the eye contact lasted for what seemed to be an eternity. His body instinctively calmed, his worries dissipated and whatever sadness he felt... it was all gone. Yuzu had that effect on people, she was like the sun burning in the sky and no one could deny the particular warmth that the blonde carried around her. Oddly enough, during that sunny afternoon, Kei felt like Yuzu shined brighter than the actual sun.

"Yuzu," he said, calling her attention, "How long are you gonna stare at me?"

"I'm gonna do it until you stop being depressed!" she smiled at him, and he automatically reflected her expression.

"Yuzu?"

"Yes?

"Would you like to go out with me?"

The blonde's spine snapped straight at those words. It was a confession, he had just asked her to go out with him. 'He could only mean that, right? No, no, maybe he means something else. Damn it. I should clarify.' her thoughts were going wild. She didn't even know how to feel, much less how to respond.

"Kei, what do you mean by that?"

"I want to date you." He said more firmly this time, "I don't need you to answer immediately. Think about it, okay?" Kei didn't look at the blonde, he kept his eyes planted firmly on the ground to hide the slight blush on his cheeks which was undeniable in contrast to his pale skin.

Yuzu stood there in silence, she was trying to process what had just happened but her brain was in total override right now. It was the first time anyone had confessed to her. She thought she would jump up and down in excitement, screaming 'Yes' at the top of her lungs but... the real thing was much different from how she imagined it. She was more shocked than anything else.

"Yuzu." A voice called out to the blonde, disturbing the atmosphere that had settled in between her and Kei.

She turned around and found Mei approaching them, the girl looked like she had just gone through the most annoying meeting in the world. Her face looked every bit the same as her usual stoic expression but Yuzu could tell that the raven-haired girl was at wit's end. It was something in the way Mei carried herself that the blonde noticed the girl's agitation. "Mei, is the meeting done?"

"Yes." A short response, "Class is about to start. We should go."

Mei started walking towards the building and Yuzu hurriedly apologized to Kei for leaving without having a proper conversation, "She can be so rude sometimes. She didn't even say 'hi' to you."

"Don't worry about it. That's just how Mei is." Kei placed his hand on top of his lower face as if trying to muffle what he was going to say, "More importantly... I'll be waiting for your answer."

The blonde smiled at him, thankful for his consideration. She didn't really know how to answer that, should could say 'Okay, I'll think about it,' but it would sound like she wouldn't really think about it. Maybe 'I'll give you an answer soon,' that also sounded very distant. In the end, all she was able to muster was a silent nod as she bid him goodbye.

With her half-eaten crepe in hand, the blonde ran as fast as she could in order to catch up to Mei who was walking towards the building without a care in the world, "Mei, wait up!"

The raven-haired girl slowed her pace ever so slightly but didn't stop for her. This was one of the things that the blonde found adorable in the taller girl, she would never do what Yuzu asked of her but she will not ignore her words either. Often choosing to do something in between what the blonde wanted and what she was currently doing.

"Have you eaten at all?" Yuzu asked when she finally caught up to the raven-haired girl.

"No. I'll eat later."

"That's not good, Mei. You can't skip meals." The blonde was in her 'mother' mode again. This was how Mei referred to Yuzu whenever the latter nagged her on anything related to eating, sleeping, and habits in general. It was like having a similarly aged mother caring for her, which frustrated the raven-haired girl to no end.

"There's no time to eat anyway." Mei brushed her off, not wanting to deal with this right now. If she was being fairly honest, the meeting was boring but it went about as well as could be expected, however, her mood soured as soon as she stepped out of the building and saw Yuzu and Kei together, acting like they didn't have a care in the world.

The raven-haired girl wanted nothing more than to ignore everything at this moment but Yuzu was making that hard for her with the blonde's constant nagging, "Mei, come on. We might still have time to buy bread or something!"

Yuzu noticed that Mei was looking at her, specifically her hand and the blonde realized that she was still holding half of her crepe. Thinking it was a brilliant idea, she asked the raven-haired girl if she would like a bite, "Ah, if we can't buy you lunch... then would you like to share this? The flavor's really good." She tried selling the idea with a smile.

"Perhaps." was Mei's answer. Yuzu was a little confused at first, unsure if that meant 'Yes' or 'No,' so she quickly stretched her arm out, coaxing the raven-haired girl to take the crepe but Mei had other ideas and her hand went past the offered dessert, straight to Yuzu's cheek. Her finger wiping some leftover cream from the blonde's face.

"I'll just have this." The raven-haired girl stated after licking the cream off of her finger, causing Yuzu's entire face to turn into a tomato, which Mei found amusing.

Yuzu walked a little faster than before, effectively leaving Mei a few steps behind her but always checking back to see if she had walked too far ahead of the other girl before turning to look in front again. Every time she looked back, Mei would see that her face was still the same shade of red as it had been a few minutes ago.

When the afternoon classes started, the blonde was completely out of it. She felt like a tornado waiting to be unleashed, fidgeting on her seat and continuously taking glances at the raven-haired student who sat alone in front of the classroom, seemingly unaware of her surroundings and paying close attention to the lesson. 'What's with this girl. Why does she keep doing this?' Yuzu thought to herself.

Their psychology professor was discussing something about the cycle of how the abused, under the right circumstances, become the abuser. An eventuality in humanity he said. Yuzu couldn't care less about what the man was talking about, she was more interested in analyzing the way Aihara Mei's action and nothing else mattered.

First, she started out as a bully, then she got better when they started living together and now she's having weird mood swings on top of doing these 'things.' Yuzu felt troubled, she felt picked on. 'God damn it, Mei. I'm really troubled by this!' she screamed inside her head. Harumi noticed that her seatmate was struggling with something.

"Yuzu-cchi, what's wrong?" Harumi whispered to the blonde.

Yuzu looked at her best friend, thinking of what to say. For some reason she didn't really feel like telling Harumi about Mei's odd quirks or how Mei was in general but she did want to find out if the raven-haired ex-student council president had a penchant for picking on people, "Harumin... can you tell me a bit about Mei during high school?" she whispered back to her friend.

"Prez? Why are you suddenly interested in that?" Harumi gave her a questioning look.

"N-no reason. I just thought... I wanted to get to know her better." It wasn't exactly a lie. She did want to know about Mei.

"Hmm... well, I guess she's pretty much the same now as she was then? We weren't really friends but she was Mitsuko-nee's successor and I heard a lot about Aihara-san from her. Mostly that she was diligent, serious and you know, basically 'that'," Harumi gestured a bit in Mei's direction as if to say that Mei has always been Mei.

"I guess she must've been popular in school." Yuzu absentmindedly commented.

"She was. Every girl from every year sent her letters and asked her out but she had refused each and every one of them."

"Girls?" Yuzu was a little confused by Harumi's statement, "What about the boys?"

"Ah, Aihara Academy's high school division is a girl's academy, I thought my class photo would've made that obvious but there were boys who waited at the entrance just to confess to her." Harumi laughed a little, remembering how boys kept waiting at the school entrance just to have a chance at confessing to the raven-haired girl but ultimately failing because Mei often stayed longer in school just so she could finish some paperwork.

"So... she's never dated?"

"Not that I know of. She was engaged to be married at one time though but it fell through."

Yuzu sighed. The more she found out about Mei, the harder it was to grasp the girl. She felt like the deeper she dug, the darker her outlook got and a familiar feeling washed over her. It was the feeling she got when she wanted to help someone, she wanted Mei to enjoy life and not be this robot that she currently was.

When class ended, Yuzu bid Harumi farewell and approached Mei's seat, "Ready to go, Mei?" she asked.

"In a minute." Mei was still packing her belongings and sorting out a few handouts she had received from class before finally closing her shoulder bag and getting up.

"Mei, do you want to go somewhere after we watch Kei's soccer game?"

"No."

The answer was expected, it took all of Yuzu's negotiating ability just to get Mei to come to the soccer match. Getting anything else from the girl was impossible at this point and the blonde knew it was a long shot but still she had to try. "It's nothing big. Harumin got tickets for the new theme park and well, it would be nice if you could come."

Yuzu was grasping at straws, she thought there was no harm in trying to entice the raven-haired girl by mentioning the location of their trip. To her surprise Mei suddenly sounded like she would consider it, "I'll think about it." she replied to the blonde, seemingly indifferent to the suggestion but her answer was enough for Yuzu.

"You can invite Momokino-san if you want. We have 6 tickets!"

Mei nodded in reply which elated Yuzu's heart. She felt like she was finally making progress in breaking through that icy exterior of the raven-haired girl and it felt great. She always wanted to know about Mei and these past weeks, she has been trying over and over again to get the girl to open up to her or even consider her suggestions at having fun but the Aihara heiress was always quick to turn her down, preferring the company of her paperwork over the blonde, as Yuzu put it.

The blonde was so busy fussing over Mei to notice the shadowy figure in front of her. It wasn't until Mei shouted that she became aware of the presence, "Yuzu, watch ou-" but it was too late. Yuzu had already collided with the tall ominous figure in front of her and for the first few seconds, she was frozen in place, trying to comprehend exactly what was standing in front of her.

"AH! Ghost!" Yuzu screamed at the top of her lungs and hid behind Mei like a little girl.

Mei was surprised by Yuzu's behavior and quickly pried the blonde's hands off of her arm before speaking, "Yuzu, you're being rude." Her words caused the blonde to blink in confusion. "Now apologize."

"There's no need, Aihara Mei." The shadowy figure spoke which such calmness that Yuzu felt compelled to look at what she ran from, "It's been a while, Yuzupon." Yuzu took a good look at the woman who had just addressed her and recognized the familiar long moss-colored hair and the eyes she could never forget.

"Shirapon-senpai?"

* * *

Notes:

A few more light-hearted chapters and then the story will be headed for plots galore.

There's a reason why I'm not writing much about Mei's POV and that mostly has to do with the development of Kei-Yuzu and Yuzu-Mei. At this point, Mei is still unsure of her own feelings but there in the future, there will be chapters from Mei's POV. I guess I would say this is close to the middle of the story. The latter half will have more of Mei in it.

There are still a few minor details I need to sort out but for the most part, I've already thought of how the large events will play out. Well, I say that but basically, everything in between the big parts needs to be filled out. I do need to apologize to my friend for forcing her to read my wall of text regarding how the plot was going to play out. I'm sure her eyes bled in the process.


	16. Chapter 16: Persuasion and Realization

Mei sat opposite of Yuzu in the living room, constantly taking glances at the blonde who was busy with discussing some official police matters with Shiraho Suzuran, who was world-renowned due to her research and expertise in criminal psychology. The Academy had given Shiraho recognition for her amazing talents and that was practically all Mei knew about the profiler.

She was even more surprised to find out that Yuzu was acquainted with the green-haired girl. 'The world truly was a small place,' she thought. Looking at the blonde who seemed like a different person from how she usually was, the emerald eyes that usually sparked with idealism and fantasy were nowhere to be found, having been replaced with focus and concentration.

"We don't really have much, Shirapon-senpai. He's very thorough whenever he kills. No sightings and no reports until the body is found." Yuzu pointed at a few photos scattered on the coffee table.

Shiraho was good and she was one of the best in her field. The girl always had an aptitude for analyzing people, not so much deduction but just pure information gathering, going so far as to be able to compound an impressively detailed analysis of any person by just looking and observing them. Mei thought back to high school where the green-haired girl was often avoided because of her hobby. It even went as far as having some students complaining about the girl, thinking she was a stalker.

"Yuzupon, can you give me the detailed report of the autopsies?"

Yuzu handed a folder labeled 'Doll Maker - Autopsy' to Shiraho and the latter started scanning the reports, looking for anything that the police might have missed. A few minutes pass in silence and finally, the girl asks Yuzu regarding the state of the women when they were found which the blonde explained in great detail but not before looking at Mei and checking to see if this was something the raven-haired girl was okay with hearing.

"Mei, are you okay with hearing these things?"

The raven-haired girl nodded. She wasn't even supposed to be here, however, Shiraho insisted that she stay and listen to whatever they were talking about. The green-haired profiler gave no reason as to why she made such a request but Mei didn't mind it. She reasoned that if anything, she should be aware of what was happening around the academy. It was her responsibility.

"Okay," Yuzu cleared her throat before continuing, "All of the victims were found in the same way; naked, mutilated, their eyes and tongue removed. There are clear signs of sexual assault as well, we have the killer's DNA profile. Their ankles are cut, probably to stop them from escaping. Finally, they're tied around the wrist and hung from the ceiling."

"The girls are always taken in XX district and their bodies are always found around there as well. The buildings are always old so there aren't even any security measures. He seems to break into the houses which are unoccupied and keeps them captive for a few days before he abandons them." Yuzu showed a few more documents to Shiraho who was silently listening.

"The eyes and tongue, does he take them while the victims are alive?" the green-haired girl asks while looking at the crime scene photos.

"According to the coroner, they're still alive when he takes the body parts. The assumption is that he takes their tongue and slits their ankles. Leaving them to fumble about with their hands tied, unable to walk and restricting them within a single room."

"He might also be visiting them every day as is suggested by the rate of healing displayed by the various cuts and bruises. Finally, when he gets tired of them he takes their eyes and leaves them to bleed out from massive gashes on their legs."

Shiraho took everything into account. Staring at every image, reading every document and absorbing every piece of information that might help her come to a conclusion and then something caught her eye- an image of a torn piece of paper that the killer had left in the mouth of his last victim and showed it to Yuzu, "When was this found?" she asked the blonde.

"On the last victim."

"Do you know what it means?"

"No. We're not even sure if it means anything other than the fact that our perp likes birds and can write."

Mei glanced at the photo that Shiraho was holding up. She could barely see it from where she was sitting and only the words 'This one wasn't meant-' was visible to her. She was curious about what was written on the piece of paper but felt it wasn't her place to disturb the conversation.

Shiraho having noticed Mei looking at the picture thought of showing it to the raven-haired girl. She had observed the goddess that was Aihara Mei countless times before, even if the girl herself wasn't aware she was being watched. As such, Shiraho knew more about Mei than most people in the Academy did and she was well aware of the girl's outstanding mental capacity.

"Aihara Mei, does this mean anything to you?" She asked the raven-haired girl who was a little surprised at the sudden inclusion but took the photo from Shiraho none the less. Examining the image, she was finally able to make out the full sentence written on the piece of paper, 'This one wasn't meant to be a nightingale either.'

Mei searched her mental catalog of everything she had ever learned or read, there was something about those words that called out to her but she couldn't exactly remember what it was. After a minute, Mei suddenly got up from the chair and headed towards her bedroom, only to reappear a few seconds later with a small book in hand.

"You said he took their tongues and sexually assaulted them?" Mei questioned while scanning through the pages of the book.

"Yes," Yuzu answered her. Taking a glance at the book Mei was holding and mentally reading the title 'Metamorphoses by Ovid.'

The raven-haired girl flipped through the pages until she finally found what she was looking for, then handed it over to Yuzu, "It might not be related but this story is about a man who had raped a woman and took her tongue to keep her quiet. She also turns into a nightingale at the end of the story."

Yuzu glanced over the page, the book was in English and luckily for her, it was actually a language she had bothered to study. Reading the passage with ease, she could definitely see the similarities between the nightingale, the mutilation and the sexual assault, "This is great Mei! You're amazing!" the blonde excitedly hugged the raven-haired genius.

Mei was someone who had heard nothing but praises from those around her, as such, she was reasonably numb to hearing them and yet somehow her heart was beating so fast at the moment that she thought her chest would explode, "It's nothing." she composed herself as the words flew out of her lips.

"As expected of Aihara Mei. You really are excellent." Shiraho was also genuinely impressed by Mei's discovery.

"Now, Yuzupon. I believe I have a profile for your killer," Shiraho gave her old friend a smile before continuing, "You are most likely looking for a well-educated man judging by the type of books that he consumes. He will be a man of character, charming, perhaps witty- basically, enjoyable company when he wants to be. I believe he does not force the girls to accompany him due to the lack of video evidence and domestic disturbance reported in the placed these women were taken."

"As for his background, this man will be in a position of power. Not necessarily someone who's politically inclined but someone who is aware of what power is, such as being part of a rich family or law enforcement. He does not seek to control his victims. If Ovis is to be believed, you are looking for a damaged individual. The abuse of the victims might have to do with the abuse he himself has suffered."

"This may or may not be valid abuse. He may simply feel like he has been wronged or 'sodomized' in a non-literal sense and therefore must avenge himself from those who wronged him, however, he is barred from obtaining the one who actually inflicted actions on him this is supported by his continuous drive to seek out women of a certain appearance. He tortures his victims mentally, that is most likely why he keeps them alive."

Yuzu was furiously taking notes on what Shiraho was dictating. Her hand could barely keep up with the rate of information that she was hearing, "Yuzupon, you don't have to write all of this. I will send you an e-mail later. That would be more convenient." Yuzu waved her concern away, "It's all right, Shiraho-senpai. I'll take the e-mail and also write it down. It helps me remember things."

"As you wish. Continuing from where I left off, there is not much that I can suggest in terms of the line of inquiry, however, I suggest that you tread lightly. The man you're after is dangerous, cunning, and intelligent. He knows how to hide in plain sight and appear harmless until he loses his temper, then he will undoubtedly react in a way uncharacteristic of his usual facade. He is more dangerous than you might assume him to be."

"Thank you, Shirapon-senpai!" Yuzu grinned at the older girl who was busy sipping from her glass of water but immediately answered upon finishing, "No need to thank me, Yuzupon. This is also very interesting for me and I am honored to be working with you again." Shiraho smiled back at Yuzu and Mei felt uncomfortable in her seat, catching Shiraho's attention.

The green-haired girl was staring intently at Mei who was oblivious to being watched as she herself was paying too much attention to the blonde without realizing it. Then there was Yuzu's usual ringtone and the blonde ran to catch the call, "Kei? What's up?" she spoke as she answered.

Shiraho unrelentingly watched Mei's reaction go from stoic to annoyance and back to stoic in the speed it would take to snap a finger, she unknowingly smiled at the revelation and called the girl's attention, "Yuzupon is amazing, isn't she?" she directed at the raven-haired girl.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean. I haven't known her long enough to comment."

"That might be so, Aihara Mei, however, in the years I have observed you, never once have I seen you as distracted as when you were looking at Yuzupon just now." The words were unforgiving and brutally honest. They becked at Mei's mind as she questioned what exactly the older girl was trying to say to her. Looking at Shiraho's facial expression, Mei could only see gentleness and realized that the woman wasn't trying to make fun of nor attack her.

Seeing the troubled expression on Mei's face, Shiraho decided to tell her what she meant by those words, "Aihara Mei, would you like to hear how I met Yuzupon?" she offered and the raven-haired girl who kept quiet for a while before answering, "I wouldn't mind."

"I had gotten permission to observe new cadets during my second year of university. It was for a paper I was trying to complete and things were not looking good for me when I got to the police academy. You are probably aware of it but I tend to scare people with the way I act, hence the cadets all did their best to avoid me, except one."

"Yuzu," Mei interjected and Shiraho smiled at her, confirming her guess.

"She approached me and there was only ever honesty and warmth in her eyes whenever she spoke to me, she did not judge me nor look at me with condemning eyes. She was truly a breath of fresh air. Soon after that, she introduced me to her fellow cadets and somehow I felt like the world had opened up to me."

"Long story short, I was able to complete my research and make good memories. Aihara Mei, would you not also want to see the world reflected in those Emerald eyes?" The question caught Mei by surprise, she had never once considered that the blonde saw everything in a different light than everyone else but it made sense that she did. It was the only way a human would ever be as kind as Yuzu was.

"What ails you, Aihara Mei?" Mei pondered for a while, looking at the blonde who was standing in the balcony and happily chatting on her mobile, "I feel discomfort whenever I'm around her and I don't understand it. It makes me irrational and whenever I see her with someone else I..." Mei caught herself before she spoke words she would regret but Shiraho had already followed her train of thought.

"Once I felt the same way about you. What you're feeling right now, aren't you in love with her?" Mei's eyes widened at what Shiraho had just uttered. She didn't answer, she didn't deny nor confirm Shiraho's observation. She couldn't do it because she didn't even know if it as true or not. Confusion painted Mei's face as a blush unknowingly crept on her cheeks, much to Shiraho's amusement. This was the first time that Mei's emotions had so openly appeared on her face and through the cracks of Mei's facade, the green-haired girl saw her insecurities.

"Aihara Mei. Do not cower in light of what you feel. Embrace it even if society thinks it's wrong or tradition dictates it's unacceptable. Because love, much like colors, is not perceived the same by any two individuals. Listen to what you feel and once you come to a conclusion, never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Mei just stared silently at Shiraho who was smiling as she looked at the blonde who was now returning to the room, "What are you guys talking about?" Yuzu inquired, noticing the atmosphere in the room but clueless as to what had just transpired.

"I was just having a chat with Aihara Mei. It has been a long time, right?" She gazed at the raven-haired girl who scrambled to compose herself before the blonde noticed her flustered face but it was too late and Yuzu had already inched closer to her, "Mei, you're looking a little feverish. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." the raven-haired girl covered her lower face with her left hand while swatting Yuzu away with her right.

Shiraho looked at the two who were now arguing about whether or not Mei was sick as the raven-haired girl struggled to keep the blonde away from herself and the blonde stubbornly kept trying to feel the other's forehead. 'Yuzupon really is amazing.' The green-haired girl couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before her.

* * *

Notes:

There's still so much to discuss in regards to the narrative and a lot of the mysteries presented in the earlier chapters. These will slowly be answered once the (drumroll) plot thickens. AHA. Pun obviously intended.

It's very interesting to see everyone take a shot at guessing who the bad guy is. If anything the variation of the guesses makes me feel like I'm hiding my little clues well or so I'd like to think.

There is a bit of a temptation to write the chapters all the way up until the end before publishing it because as I found, I am not very good at keeping track of what I'm writing. The issue that I had run into with Chapter 7 and 8 has intimidated me a little in terms of plot progression and I don't want to accidentally skip out some important details and end up being unable to follow a scene I had already envisioned. I'll see how it turns out.

The weekend will soon be upon us!


	17. Chapter 17: Unconfirmed Dangers

Mei's mind has been in turmoil all week long. In fact, the distraction has been so great that she's only been doing the bare minimum of work that was expected from her. It was so unusual that people around her started noticing her lack of workaholic tendencies, especially Himeko, who had gotten concerned enough to warrant an after class visit to Mei's apartment.

"Mei-mei, is something wrong?" Himeko asked with a slight concern due to her friend spacing out for the nth time since she arrived. "No, why do you ask?" replied Mei with her usual stoic voice but Himeko wasn't someone easily thrown off by her friend's usual indifference. Something was different and she was going to find out what it was.

"It's just that... usually, you'd be burying yourself in work all day long and right now, not only have you been staring at the same piece of paper for over 20 minutes, but you also keep looking at the front door." Mei gave a low growl, just a tad bit annoyed that her friend decided to emphasize her inability to work at the moment. She was already aware of it and didn't need anyone else to point it out. She knew that Himeko was simply worried about her, so she decided to be civil, "I'm fine, Himeko. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Did that Okogi Yuzu do something?" was the other girl's immediate reaction. Somehow the Momokino heiress automatically associated Mei's mood swings to the blonde detective and if Mei was being honest, Himeko wasn't exactly wrong.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Goodness. What has she done now?!" Himeko was apprehensively but backed down when Mei gave her the usual low-key aggressive glare.

"She didn't do anything per se. I'm just a little tired." Mei couldn't say that her exhaustion was more of herself not being able to get Shiraho's words nor the blonde out of her mind. For the past few days, she had been analyzing and re-analyzing her emotions, how she felt towards the blonde. 'Shouldn't this be easy? You're supposed to easily tell if you're in love with someone.' She thought.

'No, in the first place how could I be in love? I don't even know her outside of business matters or long enough for that matter.' Mei was mentally exhausted. She felt like she was running around in circles between how she thought she felt and what she actually felt, the latter of which she didn't truly understand. At the back of her mind, she wished there was a medical test she could do that would give her a straight answer and then she could finally move on from this.

"Where is that girl anyway?" Himeko's question pulled Mei out of her rabbit hole and back to reality.

"She has something to take care of. She should be back in time for dinner." Mei didn't know exactly when it started but at some point, she had started looking forward to eating at home. An activity she used to despise but now she even made sure to have enough time for each meal, sometimes even going as far as to watch the blonde work her magic in the kitchen.

A soft blush painted the raven-haired girl's cheeks as she thought about Yuzu, her eyes softening slightly. The drill-haired chihuahua immediately noticed the relaxed look on Mei's face. 'Maybe that delinquent isn't such a bad influence on Mei-Mei after all.' she thought, holding her cup of tea and smiling at her raven-haired friend who took one last glance at the front door before returning to her overdue work.

Meanwhile, Harumi and Yuzu were discussing the details of Shiraho's assessment with Goro and also updating him on whatever they found at the academy which was looking more and more like a dead end but at the same time, they were just happy that no new victims surfaced over the past few days. For a while, the police station was on edge because of the short time in which the fourth and fifth victims were found. Fears that Doll Maker had escalated went rampant but that didn't seem to be the case.

"For better or for worse, he went quiet." Goro was both grateful and spiteful of the current flow of the case. On one hand, they weren't getting any more dead girl, on the other, that meant there were fewer chances of Doll Maker making a mistake and giving them a lead.

"Goro-senpai, do you think we'll ever catch this guy? From Shiraho-san's words, it seems like this guy might be well connected..." Harumi's concern wasn't unfounded, after all, it wasn't unusual for someone in a position of power to get away with crimes they had committed.

"Taniguchi, that mentality will get you nowhere. Even if we're at a stump right now, we'll just have to wait until we find more evidence and we won't get that by mopping around wondering if we'll ever find it. Got it?" Goro wasn't the type to give up on a case. No matter how hopeless it was, he believed that if he just counted the days and picked up whichever crumbs were left behind, he would eventually reach a conclusion.

Yuzu shared this idealism even though she was much more likely to feel agitated by the lack of results. Still, for now, they didn't have much of an option but to wait for the 'crumbs' that the culprit would eventually leave, "If only Makoto-kun would wake up. Maybe we'll have more to work with." the blonde sighed and her companions silently shared her frustration.

When they finished their talk, Harumi and Goro ordered dinner and Yuzu excused herself, "Yuzu-cchi, aren't you going to eat?" asked the plum-haired girl, a little puzzled that her friend would choose to skip on dinner. "Sorry, Harumin but Mei will be waiting for dinner, so I can't really stay." the blonde answered.

"Okogi, you sound like you have a daughter."

"Daughter? She sounds like her husband is waiting for her to come home!" Harumi was laughing out loud at her own comment. Even Goro was chuckling a little despite trying to hold it back.

"Yeah, laugh it off! It's not my fault I need to cook in exchange for staying there, which I have you to thank for, Goro-senpai!" Yuzu pretended to be angry at her co-workers but Harumi quickly saw through the facade, "Don't lie. You like staying with Prez.!"

"And what makes you think that, huh?!"

"Because otherwise you would be constantly complaining about it! The only time you EVER complain about Prez. is when you get teased about it!" Harumi made a valid point. Yuzu can't remember a single time where she had minded Mei's presence aside from when people teased her about the raven-haired girl. In fact, despite the girl's odd quirks and rude behavior, Yuzu couldn't find a reason to hate nor dislike her.

"Whatever! I'm going home! I'll see you guys later." She stormed out of the restaurant with her bag, checking if she had her wallet and thinking about what to cook for dinner. It was only 6:50 and there was still time to purchase some ingredients from the nearby supermarket. She thought about what to cook for dinner and considered dishes like Kimchi-nabe, curry rice or maybe ramen.

As Yuzu approached the alley near the restaurant, she heard the faint voice of a man and listened in on the conversation, "Yes, they're all together in the restaurant right now." she heard as she got closer, causing her to stop in her tracks and pay closer attention. The streets have been relatively empty tonight, which helped Yuzu hear what the man was saying.

"Looks like Shiraho Suzuran has been called in to profile and she's spot on, as you no doubt imagined. No. No, I don't think so." Yuzu felt a chill in her bone at the mention of Shiraho's name. It quickly became apparent that this man had been listening to their conversation... but since when? How much did he know?

"Why would you want that? That case is closed shut." There was an audible annoyance in the man's voice and worse, Yuzu recognized it but she couldn't place why it sounded so familiar to her, "I know. Fine, I get it. I'll bring it over as soon as I find it." Yuzu scrambled when footsteps started walking away. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of their eavesdropper when he exited the alley but now she was left with no choice but to follow him.

Muffling her footsteps as best as she could, the blonde slowly crept towards the man, following him into the dark alleyway as he weaves through some boxes and trash bins that had been left by the establishments around the area. She cursed her choice of shoes, as the platform heels she wore was significantly slowing her down due to the amount of effort she needed to keep them silent.

With the man's speed and the convoluted alleys of Tokyo, it didn't take the blonde long to lose her prey. There was nothing she could do about it, it was either follow him and hope she could at least get a glimpse of who it was or tackle him but then not only will the man know she heard him on the phone, he will also refuse to fess up as eavesdropping would be mere hearsay in the court of law.

Yuzu took the best possible solution in choosing the former even if she didn't find out who it was that was following them and gathering information from them, she at least knew that there was a present threat and the police could bait the man from that day on. She walked back to the alley she came from, dialing Harumi's number on her phone in the process.

"Hello, Yuzu-cchi? Did Prez. kick you out and now you wanna come crawling back to us?" Harumi was giggling through the phone. She was obviously enjoying the teasing she was doing on the blonde, "What the heck! How is this even enough time for me to walk back there? It's only been 10 minutes since I left!" she answered the bully.

"Oh! True, true. So then I'll wait for you to call me when you get home and she kicks you out!" The plum-haired girl wasn't letting up, "I didn't even do anything worth being kicked out for!" Yuzu responded.

"But hasn't she been glaring at you this entire week? She's also been punishing you a lot for the simplest violations..."

Yuzu couldn't deny that. Since Shiraho's visit, Mei has been even moodier. The blonde often got the feeling that someone was watching her with a murderous glare but when she looks around to find out who was mentally murdering her, the only person she'd find was her raven-haired housemate. There's also the occasional punishment she received for the smallest dress code or conduct violations.

In fact, one time she had left her mobile phone out by mistake and even though she wasn't using it, Mei made sure that she confiscated it. The only thing that bothered Yuzu was Mei being quick to return the confiscated item when she went to get it. Mei didn't even file any paperwork for it, the girl simply apologized and returned the phone.

"Well you're not wrong there..." the blonde sighed in defeat, catching the attention of Harumi who realized what might be wrong, "Yuzu-cchi... maybe that's it?..."

"What do you mean 'it'?"

"You know...'that'?" There was a knowingness in Harumi's voice and Yuzu scoured her own mind as to what it could mean. It didn't take long before Yuzu finally caught on, "Period!? Oh man, you could be right. I should buy her something sweet. Ugh. How could I be insensitive, Harumin."

"It's okay, Yuzu-cchi. That's what mama Harumin is here for." Harumi joked before continuing, "Now, what did you really call for?"

"Right, I'll text you the details. I just wanted to make sure you're still at the restaurant."

"Okay~ The food's here as well so I'm hanging up now."

"All right, Harumin. Thanks for the advice and also, read my text as soon as you get it, okay?"

When the call ended, Yuzu made sure to immediately send Harumi the details. She could've just said so on the call but knowing how audible her voice would be on the empty streets, she decided that it was best to simply text her friend after she made sure that the latter was still safe and sound inside the restaurant with Goro.

Yuzu: Harumin, make sure to ask Goro-senpai to accompany you home. When I left the restaurant, I heard a guy talking on the phone in the alleyway. He seems to have been eavesdropping on our conversation. He even knows Shirapon-senpai started working on our case. Let Goro-senpai know but be discrete about it.

Harumi: Holy sh- we weren't very careful. Damn it. I'll let Goro-senpai know.

Yuzu: Okay, Harumin. Stay safe.

Harumi: You too, Yuzu-cchi.

Before she knew it, Yuzu had already arrived at the grocery store near Mei's apartment. She picked out the ingredients for curry rice - her go to when it came to comfort food. Then she headed for the frozen dessert section and grabbed a strawberry and vanilla flavored ice cream before getting a pack of sanitary pads. It occurred to her that she didn't really know what type of food Mei like and all this time, she had been cooking and buying food based on her preference. To remedy this, she was going to make sure to ask the raven-haired girl when she got home.

The walk to the apartment was short and uneventful and she quickly found her way inside the apartment, greeting Mei as she entered. "Hi Mei, sorry I took so long." The latter was sitting on the sofa with a book on her hand and a certain Momokino Himeko attached to her arm, "Welcome back, Yuzu."

"Okogi Yuzu, it's half past seven and my Mei-Mei hasn't eaten. Where have you been?!"

"Hello, Momokino-san. I'm sorry, I got caught up in something." She smiled at the two but she felt a slight tinge of annoyance for the girl who was barking at her while doing nothing but hold onto Mei's arm, "I'll be cooking now. I should be done in half an hour if you'd like to join us Momokino-san."

"HMP! I'll join in so Mei-Mei can have better company!"

"Whatever you say, Momokino-san" Yuzu was exhausted, she didn't want to get baited by the smaller girl's provocations. All she wanted to do was finish cooking so they could eat and be rid of the drill-haired girl as soon as possible. "Ah, Mei. The stuff in here is for you." Yuzu remembered she had purchased a snack and some necessities for Mei, making sure to hand them to the girl before she headed to the kitchen.

Mei gave a nod and a whispered 'thanks' before checking the contents of the bag and pulling out the sanitary pads. "Yuzu... you left something in here," she said, calling out to the blonde while holding the package high enough that the other girl can see it.

Yuzu looked at what Mei was holding up and realized what it was so she confirmed that it was for the raven-haired girl which confused the latter, "But... I'm not- I mean, I don't have..." the raven-haired girl struggled with what she wanted to get across, she felt it was a little embarrassing to say it out loud, "I'm not on my period."

The blonde stood in the kitchen completely dumbfounded and mentally kicked herself for following Harumi's advice. She loved that girl to the moon and back but sometimes she can't tell if her friend is giving her honest advice or making fun of her. All she was hoping for was that Mei would let it go without asking another quest-"Why would you even think I was?" and there goes Mei and any hopes of Yuzu getting past this without making a mockery of herself.

"Well, you seemed really moody since Shiraho visited so I thought... maybe it was because of the craps." Silence followed. Not even Himeko was talking so Yuzu took a peek at the two who were sitting a few feet away from the kitchen and she immediately regretted it. Mei was looking at her with the most deadpanned face but at the same time, she could clearly tell that the raven-haired girl was questioning her thought process.


	18. Chapter 18: The Tiger and the Dragon

After the disaster of last night's attempt at doing Mei a favor, Yuzu wanted to make sure that the raven-haired girl would enjoy watching Kei's soccer game and if not, she was hellbent to have the girl enjoy the visit to the theme park. The soccer game starts at 8 AM and lasts around two hours, giving the group enough time to head for the park and still enjoy the entire day.

"Mei," Yuzu knocked softly on her housemate's bedroom door, "are you awake?"

"Yes, Yuzu. I'll be out in a minute."

The blonde checked for the time, it was only 7 AM and they still had time for a light breakfast before leaving. Heading for the kitchen, she planned on making sandwiches and brought out the necessary ingredient only to be disturbed by the buzzing of her own phone. "Hello? Kei?"

"Yuzu! I hope you're not on your way to the stadium yet. The game was canceled all of a sudden. I'm really sorry." The man apologized over the phone, he sounded a little disappointed in the turn of events, "Seems like the other team won't be able to make it so we had to reschedule."

"Oh... well, that's okay. You don't have to apologize, it isn't your fault."

"If it's all right with you, how about we just hang out for the rest of the day? Maybe after lunch or so?"

Yuzu bit her tongue, she had already made plans to visit the theme park with Mei and the rest and since Matsuri and Nene were coming as well, she knew that inviting Kei would be a bad idea considering their undercover work, "I'm sorry, Kei. I already have plans for this afternoon... how about some other day?" The blonde answered trying to sound as disappointed as she could to spare Kei's feelings.

"You're piling up things you need to make up for, Okogi!" He cheerfully answered, allowing Yuzu to breathe in relief, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to pay it back tenfold!"

"Who are you talking to?" A monotone voice asked, causing the blonde to look at the girl who sounded much like an interrogator. Yuzu couldn't help but gawk at Mei who was wearing a simple white shirt tucked into a pair of high-waist, skin-tight light blue jeans which perfectly accentuated her curves. Mei's jeans were cut a few inches above her ankles, complimenting her white low-cut sneakers. Finally, there was the soft grey cardigan she threw on to keep herself warm, pulling each sleeve up just before her elbows.

Yuzu had never seen Mei in such casual clothes, the girl had always preferred heels over sneakers and while she occasionally wore pants, the vast majority of her clothes were made of skirts with various designs and lengths, plus somewhat business casual tops. The raven-haired girl felt a little conscious because of Yuzu's intense stare, "W-what?" she asked with a slight discomfort.

"Oh, sorry!" the blonde apologized as she forcefully tore her eyes away from the other girl who now felt like she had made a bad choice in what to wear, "Did I wear something inappropriate?" the raven-haired girl inquired.

"N-not at all, I've just never seen you in casual clothes- I mean, you're always wearing outfits that look very lady-like and it suited you so much that I never thought about how you'd look in casual clothes but here you are looking amazing, I mean- Oh god, what am I saying" 'God damn my big mouth!' Yuzu internally screamed after she finished ranting.

"Oi, I'm still here you know." Kei said from the phone, causing Yuzu to feel even more embarrassed than she already was, "Sorry! Anyway, I'll talk to you later and treat you to something as payment for ditching today!"

"Eh, Yuzu. Wai-" The blonde ended the call, blushing furiously at what had just transpired. She just gawked and showed her odd side to both Mei and Kei, 'What now. This can't get any worse...' she thought, "I thought this would be a good idea because we'll be walking a lot and a skirt would be a bit- distracting on some of the rides." Mei's words made Yuzu giggle a little and forget about her worries.

Used to be, the raven-haired girl wouldn't even bat an eye nor bother to explain why she did what she did but somehow, the girl had felt it prudent to explain her choice of clothing right now. Yuzu couldn't help but feel a little fuzzy on the inside, "Don't worry, Mei. You look amazing, I meant it but... that was actually Kei on the phone just now."

"Oh..." Yuzu couldn't place it but there was some sort of oddity in Mei's answer, "He said the game got canceled so I'm texting Harumin now and telling her about it." The blonde took another look at Mei, there was no change in her appearance but somehow she felt like the girl was a little disappointed at not being able to go out, "How about instead of cooking, we head out early and grab breakfast then meet up with the others at the theme park?" Yuzu gave Mei a hearty smile that the raven-haired girl couldn't refuse.

"That settles it then!" Yuzu quickly threw all the ingredients she had brought out and stashed them back in the fridge before energetically ushering Mei out the front door, to the latter's annoyance. "Yuzu, stop pushing."

"S-sorry-" The blonde sheepishly apologized before asking a question, "Say, Mei. I've been meaning to ask you but I never found a good opportunity and I guess it's a little late do it but I really want to know what type of food you prefer. I've been cooking and buying stuff I liked all this time and I'm sorry for not considering your preference."

Mei was looking apprehensively at Yuzu, she didn't know why the blonde was suddenly curious about something so mundane. It wasn't like Mei had never been asked such questions, it was more like she had never felt the need to answer it and even though she wanted to give Yuzu an answer, she wasn't quite sure how to do it. With a sigh, Mei tore her eyes away from her companion and answered.

"I'm unsure if this is the answer you're looking for- no, I'm sure it isn't, however, I have very little tolerance for spicy food and I do enjoy sweet desserts. As for a favorite dish, I'm sorry but I'm unable to give you a straight answer because I have never given it much thought and just ate what was served." Mei answered nonchalantly but Yuzu felt stuck in between happiness and disappointment.

The blonde wasn't disappointed at the answer she received, she was disappointed that she couldn't make Mei's favorite dish because it didn't even exist. On the other hand, she at least learned that she needed to dial back on the hotness of her dishes which made her feel bad because she had a tendency to cook a bit spicier than normal and yet she never heard Mei complain about it.

"Hey Mei, how about from now on if you like something I cook or something from a restaurant, you tell me and I try to make it at home." Yuzu thought it was a brilliant idea until she realized she wasn't gonna be with Mei forever and the moment Mei's safety is secured, she'd have to move out, "I mean, for as long as we live together and all..." she added in hurry.

"I'll consider it."

After they had their breakfast, Mei and Yuzu hurried to the theme park. Their meeting time was supposed to be 10:30 but Harumi decided they should meet a little earlier than planned since the soccer game was canceled. Unfortunately, Yuzu didn't read her message and now the two of them are running late, having only left the cafe at 10:00 AM.

"Why didn't you check for messages a little earlier?" Mei questioned the blonde as she dragged the troublemaker to the bus stop, moving just a little faster than Yuzu would've liked. "I didn't think she'd change the meeting time! Also, Mei! We don't have to rush." she muttered in between breathing, utterly tired from being made to run.

"Yuzu, your friend was kind enough to invite us."

"I know but we're late anyway!"

"Hence it would be rude to make them wait any longer."

Yuzu found the girl a little cute, her affinity with rules and punctuality extended beyond school and business matters but this was the first time the blonde had ever seen Mei so worked up about going out and meeting people. "Mei, are you nervous?" She couldn't help but ask the raven-haired girl who jumped a little at her question.

"No, why would I?"

"Because I've never seen you so stressed, not even during the first time we met."

Mei felt embarrassed that she had allowed such emotions to bleed through her actions. She wasn't exactly looking forward to today but knowing she'll meet a few of Yuzu's closest friends felt a little intimidating. Taniguchi Harumi, she already knew but the type of crowd that the blonde usually kept around her was a complete mystery to Mei and that made her feel a little uneasy.

The lack of answer from the girl confirmed Yuzu's guess and as adorable as she thought it was for Mei to finally show a side that was more than the manipulative robot she sometimes thought the girl was, she also wanted Mei to enjoy the day and for that to happen, the raven-haired girl needed to relax. "Don't worry too much about it, Mei. Momokino-san will be there as well and Nene is a good girl, Matsuri might be a bit of a bully but she means well... sort of... and you already know Harumin."

When they finally arrived at the park, Himeko immediately jumped at Mei, clawing for a hug. Yuzu looked around for any sign of Harumi and the rest, "Yuzu-chan!" Matsuri waved from a few feet away, sprinting towards the unsuspecting blonde and tackling her, "Hey Matsuri! Where's Nene and Harumin?" she asked her attacker.

"Taniguchi-senpai went to reserve us a spot on the line with Nene. I volunteered to stay behind and wait for you." The pink haired girl answered as she helped the blonde up and dusted herself.

"How unsightly, Okogi Yuzu." Himeko had been eyeing the exchange between Matsuri and Yuzu, being quick to call out the unladylike greeting. Matsuri briefly looked at the curly-haired girl as if trying to tell her 'back off' with just her azure eyes. The glare was so intense that Himeko had chosen to bite back her comments and unconsciously cling to Mei's arm.

Not long after, Matsuri laid her eyes upon the picture of perfection right beside the one she now mentally dubbed 'eyebrow-chan' comically created specifically for the girl's unbelievably thick brows. The raven-haired girl looked tall and proud, she wasn't even intimidated by Matsuri, which was very unusual considering the girl's track record for bullying and manipulation.

"Ah! Matsuri, let me introduce you to Mei and Momokino-san." Yuzu pointed at each girl as she introduced them, "and this is Matsuri. She's like a little sister to me!" the blonde placed her arm around Matsuri's shoulder and pulled her closer like a proud onee-san, "She may look like a troublemaker but she's actually really smart!"

The sudden closeness and flattery made Matsuri blush a little as she struggled to pull away from the blonde, "I'm not a kid anymore, Yuzu-chan! If you're gonna introduce me in this way, then at least say I'm your lover or something!"

"You'll always be my little sister! And stop saying weird things, they're gonna get the wrong idea!" Yuzu protested at Matsuri who looked back to the tall raven-haired girl who was quietly standing in front of them. It might've just been her imagination but she felt like that person wanted nothing more than to pry her out of the blonde's side and Matsuri didn't like that at all.

Yuzu looked at Mei and Matsuri who seemed to be lost in their own world. Staring at each other, there was definitely chemistry between the two and by that, she meant it was like hydrogen fluoride was wafting in the air. She couldn't see it but she could smell it brewing from a mile away and the tension was so heavy that it felt like even the smallest spark was going to ignite the two.

"Ah, so... uhm, should we go find Harumin and Nene?" Yuzu tried dispersing the heavy atmosphere.

"'Kay~ Let's go then, Yuzu-chan." Matsuri grabbed Yuzu's arm and dragged her to the entrance, making sure to stare directly into Mei's amethyst eyes as she did.


	19. Chapter 19: Emerging Attraction

The group started out slow, preferring the rides and games which were more casual. Mei had gotten interested in a shooting game and decided to play a few rounds and dare may the blonde say, she sucked at it but it was cute to watch Mei try hard for anything. Matsuri decided to step in, immediately shooting down the grand prize with her skills honed through years of playing video games and arcades.

"Here you go, Mei-san" the pink-haired girl gave Mei the prize. It was an odd humanoid-lemon shaped thing and Yuzu thought about how great it was that the two seemed to be getting along after the tension at the gate. How naive she was for thinking that, as Harumi soon pointed out the escalating rivalry in between azure and amethyst eyes. No words were spoken but they looked like Tesla and Edison, ready to bring each other down.

First up was the incident with King of the Hammer attraction. Harumi absentmindedly asked Yuzu to play the game with her, the two of them have been having this mini-rivalry since they studied in the police academy and every single time, the blonde would win against Harumi, "How about it Yuzu-cchi? Ready to lose?" she smirked at her best friend who gladly took her up on the offer, "May I just remind you that you've never won?" the blonde haughtily answered with a grin plastered on her face.

Harumi took the hammer first and adjusted her body accordingly. She knew she needed to exert enough effort to hit at least a 75 if she wanted to beat Yuzu. Holding the hammer up and letting it fall behind, Harumi expanded her with a sharp inhale and struck the plate as she exhaled the built-up energy- 'ding-ding' the machine went, displaying her score, a 78. "Beat that Yuzu-cchi!" Harumi gloated at the blonde while handing the hammer over.

Yuzu took the hammer and swung it around a couple of times. It was her way of stretching and getting accustomed to the hammer's weight. Once she got a good idea of how hard she was able to swing the hammer, she took her place in front of the machine and much like Harumi, held the hammer up, taking a few deep breathes before finally unleashing a powerful smite on the machine.

The machine played its usual 'ding' and displayed her score- 79 points, she won by a single point. "Damn it! I was sure I got you this time, Yuzu-cchi." the plum-haired girl went and hugged the blonde from behind. Completely ignoring her ample breasts that were now sitting right on top of the Yuzu's head, causing great discomfort to the smaller girl but not as much as the discomfort both the raven-haired girl and pink devil felt watching the scene.

"Let me try that, I'm sure I can beat both of you" Matsuri took the hammer from Yuzu and asked them to back away. Giving it all her might, Matsuri swung at the machine and scored an impressive...52. Her self-confidence crumbled, then she had the brilliant idea of shoving the hammer at Mei and taunting the taller girl, "Do you want to try Mei-san?" she smirked at the girl who instantly recognized it as another challenge.

Mei wordlessly took the hammer even as Himeko protested that such a game wasn't something a lady should play. The raven-haired girl looked at the machine in front of her, it looked simple enough. All she had to do was hit the metal pad with the hammer she was holding and that was it. Doing as her brain dictated, Mei, lifted the hammer and smashed it on the machine, somehow managing to look every bit as graceful while doing it.

Matsuri looked at the score, it was a solid 60 and she was at a loss for words. Looking at Mei, the pink-haired girl almost popped a vein, the raven-haired challenger was looking at her with a straight face but those amethyst eyes mocked her, almost as if saying 'bring it on.'

After that came the bumper cars where they paired up; Harumi sat with Yuzu, the plum-haired girl driving. Matsuri was with Nene, the devil behind the wheel and finally, Himeko and Mei, with the raven-haired girl being the operator. As soon as the cars came to life, Mei and Matsuri were already at each other's throats and flying at each other.

Himeko was dead terrified they'd hurt themselves with the way Mei was colliding with Matsuri's bumper car, often jerking them hard enough that the seatbelts stung on their skin through the clothing. On the other hand, Nene couldn't care less about what her driver did as long as she could take a video of HaruYuzu enjoying a nice 'car ride.'

It was already lunchtime by the time they finished on the bumper cars. Matsuri and Nene headed out to search for a place to eat while Mei and Harumi excused themselves for a trip to the comfort room, leaving Yuzu uncomfortably alone with the chihuahua named Himeko. The first few seconds was awkwardly silent even though Yuzu tried her best to start a conversation-to her surprise, Himeko spoke first, "Okogi Yuzu." she called the blonde.

"Y-yes, Momokino-san?" Yuzu felt a little nervous. "I would like to thank you for inviting me and Mei-Mei today." Himeko's gratitude caught Yuzu off guard. She knew that Himeko didn't like her, she might even despise the blonde and yet she was being thanked by the girl. "It's not a big deal, Momokino-san." Yuzu smiled, somewhat feeling relieved.

"I don't like you very much. I believe you are a bad influence on Mei-Mei with your delinquent-tendencies and that happy-go-lucky personality-" The smile on Yuzu's face disappeared, replaced by a slightly embarrassed look as she instinctively scratched her head, "However, I have never seen Mei-Mei as happy as I saw her today and for that, I have you to thank." Himeko continued.

"Momokino-san... I think rather than happy, she looked really annoyed." Yuzu commented, causing Himeko to turn her head and face the blonde, "That might be so, however, I haven't seen those expressions on Mei-Mei's face for the longest time."

Himeko had a soft smile on her face which her brows betrayed as they lay solemnly, Yuzu noticed the sadness hidden behind the smile and decided to prod a little deeper, "Momokino-san, can I ask? Has Mei always been like this?"

Himeko studied the blonde's face, her brows now knitting, "No, she was a much happier child. You wouldn't even think she was the same person if you met her before."

"So what happened?"

"The divorce did." Himeko's words sounded cold and distant as if she didn't want to remember that part of Mei's life.

"Can you- I mean, I'd like to know about-" Yuzu twiddled her thumbs together as she tried to get the words out but her tongue failed her.

"No." Himeko's voice tore through Yuzu's ears, the refusal was so absolute that she didn't even think to ask again, "It's not my place to say. Mei-Mei will tell you herself when she's ready." Himeko continued with a slight glint of acknowledgment in those words.

The small girl briefly smiled as she thought about all the stupid things she did when it came to protecting her childhood friend, especially during high school, "To be honest, Okogi Yuzu, if I was a little younger I might've spun this entire thing in order to spite you and get you away from Mei-Mei. It's funny how people change as they get older-" the smile quickly turned pained as her thoughts returned to Mei.

"That is the normal progression for us, we change as the years go on and yet, for 11 years her world remained unmoving, living for the sake of inheriting and furthering the Aihara name. From such a young age, she carried that burden all by herself. Never complaining or running away, I admired that strength and sought to protect her. It was too late when I realized that wasn't what she needed but you-" Himeko stopped for a second, returning to face the blonde who was silently listening to her, "You might be able to help her break out of that shell."

Yuzu took in everything that Himeko said, she felt a little more invigorated and immediately wanted to smother the raven-haired girl with all the warmth and affection that the girl needed. Getting up, she placed a fist on her chest and proudly beat it, "Leave it to me, Momokino-san!" she beamed at the girl who returned to her chihuahua-personality, barking at the blonde, "If you hurt Mei-Mei, I'm going to break your face!"

"Oh wow, Vice Prez. You're as hardcore as ever." Harumi interjected as she walked closer to the pair. Mei walked a few steps behind her.

"For how long are you going to refer to me as 'Vice Prez.' and Mei-Mei as 'Prez.'? we've all graduated from high school so long ago!" Himeko angrily fumed at Harumi, "I don't know... it's kind of the only name I feel comfortable calling you and Prez. so..." the girl answered nonchalantly as the chihuahua continued arguing with her.

For the rest of the afternoon, the rival between Mei and Matsuri had died down to a more tolerable level-mostly because they ran out of competitive games to do and only the big rides like the roller coaster, merry-go-round, and a few others were left. Yuzu couldn't be bothered by the death-defying attractions they went on since she was too preoccupied with Mei.

After the talk with Himeko, she hasn't been able to get the raven-haired girl out of her mind and all she could think about was if the latter was enjoying herself, what she wanted to do next and if she'd consider hanging out like this again. She wanted to know more about Mei, she wanted to spend more time with the girl and show her how great and beautiful the world was.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to say those things to Mei, fearing the girl would start avoiding her like the plague. With a heavy heart, she swallowed her feelings and went on every ride completely dazed. Matsuri and Harumi both caught onto it but they had different ideas on how to cheer up the seemingly depressed Yuzu.

While Matsuri did her best to joke around and throw herself at the blonde, Harumi was a little bit more aware of the situation and when it came time for the final ride, she put her plan into action. Like most people, the group decided to ride on the Ferris wheel last and as they were boarding, Harumi grabbed Mei. Pushing the confused girl all the way to the front of the line with Yuzu.

"H-Harumin?!" the blonde protested at the sudden change in groups.

"Enjoy, Yuzu-cchi!" the plum-haired girl teased while trying to hold back Matsuri who wanted nothing more than to get in the coach and kick the raven-haired girl out of it.

Yuzu and Mei sat opposite of each other, both keeping their eyes on something else. Mei busied herself by looking at the scenery outside while Yuzu's attention was completely focused on Mei, "Did you enjoy yourself today, Mei?" she asked the girl, trying to break the silence.

"Yes."

"I see. That's great, I was worried you wouldn't like this kind of thing." Yuzu continued not really knowing what to say after that.

"My family went to a theme park once when I was a child. Kei and I were so excited that we ended up tiring ourselves the night before and we were unable to fully enjoy it. Father promised we would go again but... I never expected I would visit one aga-" Mei was cut short by the feeling of Yuzu cozying up beside her.

"It's okay, Mei. We'll do more fun stuff even after my work is done. I'll come around and we'll make more fun memories like this." Yuzu leaned her head on Mei's shoulder, somewhat burying her face on the latter's soft black hair. It was warm and she felt so comfortable that she could stay like this forever.

"Yuzu..." Mei called out, looking down at her shorter companion. Yuzu felt like she had to respond and lazily tilted her head up so she could look at Mei's face, unaware that the raven-haired girl was currently looking at her. When their eyes met, it was both tender and intense. Before either of them knew it, they started drawing closer to each other, lips moving closer with each heartbeat.

'Clang!' The Ferris wheel sounded, marking the end of the ride and the two were inadvertently pulled out of the trance. Mei was flustered, she tried her best to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. The blonde was in a worse state, she had instinctively pushed herself away from Mei, back against the coach walls as her skin turned red all-over.

'This is bad, this is really bad. What did I just try to do?' she questioned herself and her motivations behind what had almost transpired, "I-I'm sorry, Mei. I don't know what came over me and- anyway, I'm sorry!" the blonde bowed towards the raven-haired girl who was confused by the sudden apology offered, "Yuzu, I-" she tried to say something while reaching out to Yuzu.

Just then the coach hit the exiting point and the door swung open, ending the moment. Yuzu was so relieved at the save, she was suffocating over the feeling that settled in her throat. 'I almost kissed her, what was I thinking?!' she thought as she ran past the conductor, leaving Mei behind.

* * *

Notes:

I was having a hard time pacing these three chapters. I didn't really want to split all the events up into three. Originally I planned for chapter 17, 18 and 19 to only be 2 chapters but it quickly became apparent that I had to make it a bit longer in order to add all the development I wanted to achieve. Mostly the rivalry between Matsuri and Mei, plus Himeko's acceptance of Yuzu's growing importance to Mei and the usual Mei and Yuzu development.

On that note, I had to re-write the chapter twice and I started typing the chapters directly on this site instead of locally through a program-bad idea, I lost my work a lot due to accidentally closing the page, hitting save and realizing my internet was down or even something ridiculous like forgetting to save (not the smartest person in the world).

These chapters are probably the last casual ones for a while. The next few chapters will follow a heavier tone as I've been wanting to explore the family backstories as well as slowly concluding the feelings shared between Mei and Yuzu.

There's a lot to do, basically!

Cheers everyone!


	20. Chapter 20: Struggling yet Powerless

Days passed and those days turned into weeks yet the awkwardness between Mei and Yuzu hadn't left. Nothing's been going right between them since the incident on the Ferris wheel and it was taking a toll on the blonde. It wasn't so much that Mei was pushing her away, it was the opposite, she did everything she could to minimize their socialization and alone time.

Despite the blonde's obvious efforts of suddenly coming up with something to do or begging Harumi to conveniently take her place in watching Mei, the latter didn't complain nor confront Yuzu even once. She knew she was being extremely rude, it wasn't like it was Mei's fault that things ended up the way they did but she just couldn't face her like this.

'Why did I have to do something stupid like that. Now, look at the mess I made.' the blonde thought to herself as she spent another afternoon away from Mei. She had once again switched tasks with Harumi, the plum-haired girl accompanying Mei while she went around campus looking for any lead that she might stumble on. She honestly felt like anything was better than being alone in the same room as Mei.

A sudden tug on her jacket made Yuzu unwillingly turn. She was greeted by cold blue eyes that looked at her so intensely it made her feel like Shiraho herself was the one looking at her. "Okogi Yuzu," the man said, softening his eyes, "how long are you planning on running away every time class ends, huh?" Kei gives her a flick on the forehead.

"Ouch!" the blonde reached up to the reddening spot, "I'm not running away!" she lied and very poorly at that.

"Oh yeah? Mei keeps looking at you as soon as break starts and as soon as the bell rings, you immediately bolt out the door." He motions his fingers to imitate a person that's walking, "I don't know what happened between the two of you but I assure you that Mei didn't mean whatever horrible thing she said." Kei makes an almost silly face while he explains.

"What makes you think she did anything wrong?"

"I kind of just assumed. I mean, there are classifications to the people around Mei. First are the ones who despise her, second are the ones who love her until she crushes their hopes and dreams, then there are those who want to use her and finally... there's the ever loyal Himeko." He laughs a little at mentioning the Momokino heiress.

"That's kind of horrible to say about your own sister, Kei." There was slight annoyance and apprehension in Yuzu's tone.

"I know, but I'm not saying it as an opinion. I'm saying it as an observation. Sometimes people think you're so perfect that they automatically harbor feelings of disdain and jealousy. I guess you could say that it's very lonely at the top, especially for an Aihara." Kei explained so fluently that Yuzu understood what he meant. She understood that despite what Mei appeared as on the outside, she was still human and all the more lonely.

"I guess I get what you mean." She replied with a sigh while slumping her shoulders and looking down, "But she really didn't do anything. I kinda did something stupid and now I'm too scared to approach her."

"Are you gonna tell me what you did?" Kei squatted, trying to look at Yuzu's eyes from below.

"No way!" she furiously replied, a little embarrassed at her sudden outburst. 'How am I supposed to tell you I almost made out with your sister!' she screamed internally.

"Well, okay. It's not like you've been dissing me for how many weeks now and I'm not hurt by that at all, you know?" Kei faked being depressed, trying to get Yuzu to fess up but the blonde wasn't gonna let up and let him have his way, "I'm not telling! Don't even try!" she scolded him.

"Fine~ if you buy me lunch, I'll give you advice." He smiled at the girl, fully aware she would accept.

"You're like the devil, you know? Taking offerings in exchange for helping."

"Come on, Miss. The world doesn't survive on charity." He gave her a cheeky grin, utterly enjoying teasing the blonde.

"Fine!"

"Talk it out with her." His answer was simple, precise and to the point. It was so simple that Yuzu blinked a couple of times as she considered how serious of an advice that was, "Are you serious?" she questioned him, half-believing his advice and half-hoping that it was a bad joke.

"Yes? Mei is a smart girl. She might not look very forgiving but if you explain your side properly, I'm sure the two of you will come to an understanding." He offered an explanation which actually made sense to Yuzu except she didn't know how to even approach Mei about it. Besides, she didn't even know what she should be telling Mei at this point.

Totally absorbed in her mind, Yuzu was ignoring everything around her until a few words caught her attention. She hurriedly looked at the direction of the person speaking and listened in on the conversation a few female students were having as they passed by, "Apparently there's a guy who's hanging around the school looking all suspicious." one of them said.

"Yeah... it's kind of scary with all those Doll Maker killings that's been happening lately but I heard he's a total hottie. I wouldn't mind being killed by that." the girls erupted in laughter when the joke was made. Yuzu bit her tongue, wanting to call out the insensitivity and stupidity of what she just heard. She felt disgusted, to say the least, and it was showing on her face.

"Yuzu, are you okay?" Kei inquired, brushing a few loose strands from the blonde's face so he could see her face better.

"Yes." Yuzu weakly answered before shaking her head to regain composure, " I'm fine. I was just a little bothered by what they said."

"I said it before but... you really have a gentle heart, Yuzu. Don't let it get to you. Some people just say things because they've never been in a similar situation and don't understand the implication of what they said."

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, there isn't enough time to eat now, I'll pay you back another day." She bowed apologetically at Kei who ruffled her hair in response, "That's always the way it works with you!" he pouted at Yuzu who kept apologizing.

When the afternoon classes started, Yuzu dwelled on what Kei said and how she should approach Mei about the issue. The blonde knew very well that before she could do that, she needed to sort out her feelings. She felt deeply about Kei, they had a good relationship and he had already confessed to her, patiently waiting for a reply. On the other hand, there was Mei. Arrogant and stoic, Mei. Yet somehow this girl with her long black hair had dominated every waking second of Yuzu's life.

She remembered a particular lesson during high school where the teacher explained attraction in stressful situations. The idea was that people who were together during stressful situations were often tricked by their bodies into thinking they felt genuine attraction for each other and if she was to logically think about it, this would be the most likely situation between her and Mei.

It was tough, incredibly tough. There was no easy way to weigh her feelings. There was also the gnawing feeling at the back of her head telling her this is impossible and that maybe she was just projecting onto Mei what she felt for Kei since they are twins and they do look alike to some extent minus the obvious characteristical difference brought on by their biological difference.

'Gender...' Yuzu thought, realizing she didn't even consider that Mei was a woman until now. She was aware of it, how could she not be after looking at that epitome of the female figure that Mei called her body. It's just that it never crossed her mind even once that it might be an issue, until now. 'That's right. This will never work out... she probably just thinks she likes me anyway or might not have meant anything at all. I should just apologize.' she bit her cheek.

At the end of school, Yuzu headed for the comfort room to freshen up. All the thinking was stressing her out and the weight of her own heart was crushing her. She was thankful that Harumi agreed to walk Mei home today, it meant she'd have time to prepare herself for the conversation she planned on having that night. Having fought hard against her gut, she felt determination in seeing this through.

The peace didn't last long as the buzzing of her phone tore through it, shredding what little solace she had, "Hello?" there was an obvious tinge of blue in her voice but it didn't deter the caller.

"Yuzu-cchi, are you with Prez. right now?" There was panic coming from the other line.

"Huh? I thought you agreed to walk her home today?" Answered Yuzu in confusion.

"I did, but I went to the toilet for a sec. and when I came back, she was gone. Damn it! I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."

Yuzu ran, forget her bag and worries, she just ran. "Harumin, this is bad. I heard that there's a guy hanging around the school, it might be nothing but still. We can't take chances." Yuzu's throat constricted at the thought of Mei being attacked again.

"Shit. Okay, I'll take the back, you take the front. Okay?"

"Roger, running there already. Call me if you find her." Yuzu dropped the call but kept holding onto her phone in case Harumi found the missing girl before she did. 'Damn it, Mei. Why do you do this?' she continued running mindlessly towards her destination. Her lungs burned with crisp cold air as she inhaled, trying to stabilize her breath after arriving at the gates. There was no sign of Mei but she kept looking.

It didn't take long for her to hear a familiar voice at the distance, towards the western path covered by Cherry Blossoms, "What do you want? Let me go." the voice commanded, it was Mei. Yuzu would recognize that voice anywhere. "Damn you, Aihara. What have you done?!" A man's voice rang through the trees.

Yuzu instinctively knew that she had to get there and fast. They only met briefly but she also recognized the man's voice as Amemiya, the man who was harassing Mei when they first met. This really was bad, who knows what the guy would do to Mei after all that happened. It wasn't even a stretch to say that maybe this was the same guy who orchestrated the failed kidnapping on Mei. There were so many thoughts running through the blonde's head right now but all that came to an abrupt end when the pair finally came into view.

Amemiya was clearly infuriated, he grabbed Mei and raised his hand, ready to punch her. Yuzu went on auto-pilot, she knew the distance was too great to cover, there was no way she was going to stop Amemiya from landing that hit and so time stopped for her. Thinking carefully, she looked at around and asked 'What can I do?' suddenly she remembered her mobile phone and with one apology to her mother who gave it as a gift, threw the device as hard as she could.

It was a clean hit, at a distance of 15 feet she managed to hit Amemiya square in the head and the man clutched his skull while turning to look at his attacker. "You again?! Do you love sticking your nose in other peoples' business?!" he cussed at her, eyes full of anger. It was nothing like the first time she met him. Right now, this man was the living embodiment of rage.

Amemiya came at her, he was quicker and more balanced this time. The adrenaline must've been pumping through his body at a 100% as even Yuzu who was trained to deal with such situations, found it hard to dodge his flurry of punches. 'Shit, he's much better than last time.' He was a full-grown man and very tall, his reach was much better than hers and he had the muscular advantage.

The blonde knew that one clean hit to the head and Amemiya would bring her down, then he'd be free to do whatever he wanted to Mei. She couldn't let that happen. Weaving through his punches, Yuzu took her stance and waited for the right moment to retaliate. When an opportunity presented itself, the blonde skillfully grabbed onto Amemiya's wrist and used his own momentum to throw him on the floor-a clean throw but that didn't stop Amemiya.

Quickly getting up, the man continued coming at Yuzu. He was starting to get a little slower because of the explosive way he was attacking her. The blonde played safe, carefully dodging the punches and kicks with fluid motion, her arms getting sore from blocking the fists that so badly wanted to plummet her to the ground but she was steadfast. Like a viper, she saw another chance and swatted Amemiya's hook while returning with her own palm straight to his neck.

The man fell back, clutching at his throat as the force of Yuzu's strike caught on. He coughed and wheezed, just lying on the ground and Yuzu called out to him. "Give it up," she said to him while slowly approaching, a little worried that she had struck too hard and permanently damaged Amemiya. When Yuzu was within arms reach, Amemiya suddenly grabbed her leg, catching her by surprise and pulling her into a chokehold.

'Shit, this is bad. There's no way I'm gonna get him off.' she struggled hard against him but the tightening grip was starting to wean her out of consciousness, then she heard Mei shouting, demanding that the man let Yuzu go and in her hazy vision, she saw the raven-haired girl running towards them. 'No... don't come here, Mei. Run. Get away.' she thought to herself as she reached out, trying to motion her thoughts to the other girl.

Mei didn't know what to do, she just knew if she didn't do something soon, then Yuzu might die. The blonde's paling complexion was becoming more evident and Mei did her best to pry Amemiya off of the girl but her strength was insufficient and he didn't even flinch at her efforts. Deciding it was her last resort, Mei grabbed Amemiya's head, digging her nails into his face until he let go of Yuzu, crying in pain.

The raven-haired girl ran to Yuzu, checking to see if the blonde was still breathing and wiping some hair off of the fallen girl's face, she realized that her hand was nearly entirely covered by blood. She checked to see if the blood was from Yuzu but there wasn't a spec of blood on the girl's clothes aside from where Mei touched her.

Amemiya shrieked on the ground, holding his face in his hand and the instant he looked at Mei, the girl knew where the blood had come from. She unintentionally gouged out his left eye during the altercation. That was why he let go of Yuzu. Mei felt a chill run down her spine as Amemiya looked like he was going to kill the both of them there and then, there was nothing she could do to protect the fainted girl on her lap- for the first time in her life, Mei felt genuine fear.

* * *

Notes:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter even though I hated having to make Mei such a damsel all the time, hence the end of it where she actually does something- but then again, not really.

4 chapters to apologize for the lack of releases during the weekend.


	21. Chapter 21: Footsteps on Water

A faint scent wafted in the room as Yuzu went in and out of consciousness. The familiar scent of osmanthus, mimosa, vanilla and a hint of lime. It reminded her of spring- not too cold, not too warm... just perfect. Feeling comfort in the fragrance, Yuzu slowly shifted on the bed and realized that there was a warm hand squeezing her own tightly.

The blonde smiled with her eyes closed, realizing why the scent felt so nostalgic and comforting and why it reminded her of spring. 'Clair de Lune' she thought, exhaling as she called out to the owner of the fragrance, "Mei...". "Yuzu-cchi? Are you awake?" a different voice called out to her and her eyes shot open, observing the room. She was in a different room from usual and it didn't take long to realize that she wasn't at Mei's apartment.

"Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi called out again, having noticed the blonde's startled appearance.

"Harumin?" Her mind was in a state of confusion as she struggled to find a reason why she was lying on a hospital bed. Then it hit her, they were attacked and she stupidly got herself tackled by Amemiya. "Where's Mei?! Is she all right?!" she panicked, jolting up from the bed as thoughts of the raven-haired girl returned to her mind.

Harumi chortled at the audacity of her friend who always worried about other's well-being before her own, "She's fine, Yuzu-cchi. You saved her."

"But that's not possible..." She bit her tongue, knowing she had committed a grave error in judgment during the brawl with Amemiya, "I passed out. I thought he was down and I got too close. He grabbed me and I couldn't get him off."

"Well yeah... you saved her and then she saved you. When we got there you already passed out and Mei was sitting beside you. Her hand was all bloody, I thought she was hurt but seems like she raptured Amemiya's eye while trying to get him off of you." Harumi explained, clearly impressed with what Mei had done.

"Did you catch him?" The blonde inquired nervously and a short pause followed. The smile on Harumi's face disappeared as she shamefully looked to the ground, preparing to break the news, "No... Kei and I were lucky to get there when we did. Kei fought him off and I tended to you while calling an ambulance but he managed to out power Kei and escape before the reinforcements came." An audible tongue flick came from Harumi as she scratched her head in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Yuzu-cchi." she apologized to Yuzu who shook her head in response, "It's not your fault Harumin. If anything it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't being childish and avoiding Mei and even if it wasn't that, then it still wouldn't have happened if I was a bit more careful in approaching him." the blonde sighed in defeat and dropped herself back on the bed, "Do we know where he is?" she asked while touching the bruise on her neck.

"No, but we've got an APB on him. We've also informed the hospitals of his description and injury, he'll need to get his eye treated at some point. Everything owned by the Amemiya family is also being searched. We'll find him, it's only a matter of time."

"Thanks, Harumin. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help." the blonde was solemn. She felt bad at constantly making her partner do all the work while she lay on hospital beds or sat comfortably on a chair, watching Mei. "What are you talking about, Yuzu-cchi? We're gonna be partners for life and if you think about it that way, it's just my turn to help you now. You'll pay me back someday, then we'll be even!" The plum-haired girl gave her a wide grin.

"Besides, I'm just thankful it's you they shoved into living with Prez. I wouldn't survive a day!" Harumi joked sheepishly which the blonde found amusing, "She's not that bad!" the blonde protested before remembering the scent of Mei's perfume and the warm hand that held her's so tightly, as if not wanting to let go, "Speaking of Mei though, was she here?"

"Not that I know of... but considering the visiting hours, I guess that's unlikely. Why?"

"Ah... I thought I smelled her perfume." the blonde answered, a little bit embarrassed by her knowledge of Mei. "Are you sure it's Prez.? Because Matsuri was here earlier. She looked super pissed when she left but wouldn't tell me why." Harumi recalled arriving at Yuzu's room and Matsuri immediately getting up to leave as soon as she saw the plum-haired girl enter.

Matsuri's eyes screamed bloody murder but uttered no words other than a simple greeting towards Harumi and an 'I'll see you later' at the sleeping blonde. "No, I had no idea Matsuri was here but maybe I was just imagining things. I wonder why she would be so mad though. You think I mumbled something in my sleep?" Yuzu asked nervously.

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, you should get ready, you're free to be discharged at any time." Harumi extended a paper bag towards Yuzu. Checking inside, the blonde found a few articles of clothing that she could change to and thanked her friend for the kind gesture before hopping out of bed.

While Yuzu changed out of her hospital gown and into more comfortable clothes, Harumi busied herself by taking care of the blonde's discharge slip. She was glad that Yuzu only received a few bruises but there was another matter to discuss outside of Amemiya and she had hoped the blonde had more time to rest before she heard about it. "Yuzu-cchi, you done?" she knocked on the bathroom door, checking on the blonde.

"Yeah, I'm done," answered Yuzu as she stepped out of the door.

"Yuzu-cchi, there's something else I need to tell you." Harumi spoke as soon as Yuzu appeared, "Homura Mio is missing." Yuzu stood still, frozen in place. She felt her stomach drop and while it was a little cruel to have to hear this so soon after the events of last night, she was also thankful that her friend chose to tell her as soon as she could.

Thoughts clouded Yuzu's mind. Himura Mio's disappearance was startling, true, but more than that was the reason for her disappearance. She might've been involved with the attempted kidnapping of Mei but Yuzu found it hard to believe that the tears and gentleness displayed by the woman was a facade. She found it even less likely that she'd abandon her brother, Homura Makoto.

There was no point in making assumptions now, however, Yuzu was fairly certain that Homura Mio disappeared against her will and while she entertained the idea that Mio may have gone into hiding, it was purely for the benefit of the doubt and did not reflect that intense feeling she had in her gut, "Since when?" she asked Harumi, trying to fill more blanks in her mental equation.

"Her co-workers said she hasn't shown up for work since Monday. So, counting the weekend, it's been 5 days." It was logical for the co-workers to be the ones reporting Mio's disappearance. The girl and her brother were orphans after all, "That doesn't sound good. At the very least, that's 3 days so, she definitely either ran or is being held captive at this point." Yuzu didn't dare to even utter the other viable hypothesis- death.

Considering the amount of time, the trail would've already gone cold already. In the academy, they learned that most falsely assumed missing persons' cases gets resolved within the first 48 hours, often these cases were of runaway children or some other minor incident, however, any span of time beyond that meant that the reality of the situation was as dire as expected or even worse.

"Did we get statements from the co-workers?" Yuzu asked.

"Yes, we've talked with two of her co-workers but they didn't report anything out of the ordinary on the days before she disappeared. They mentioned she looked worried but that might just be because of her brother being in the hospital."

Yuzu listened to Harumi while feeling her pocket for the familiar rectangular device she always kept close and realized it wasn't there, "Harumi, did you see my phone at the scene last night?" she asked after remembering how she threw the innocent inanimate object at Amemiya.

"No, Yuzu-cchi. We didn't recover any mobile phones at the scene. We might have missed it but... how did you lose it, exactly?" Harumi raised both of her eyebrows while she tried to comprehend how the blonde was able to lose her mobile phone so thoroughly that the forensic team didn't find it.

"I- er- I kinda threw it at Amemiya because it was the only thing I had available. I also left my bag in the comfort room..." Yuzu bowed shamefully at her choice of action. The phone she didn't regret as much but her police ID was in her bag and that would've been seriously bad if someone found it.

"Don't worry about the bag, it was returned by the property custodian." Harumi comforted Yuzu before she burst out laughing at the thought of her friend using the poor electronic as a makeshift weapon, "Jesus, Yuzu-cchi. You do the funniest things! I wish I would've seen that!" The laughing continued, causing great embarrassment to the blonde. "I guess I'll have to get a new one." Yuzu sighed as Harumi kept on laughing at her.

Since her own was out of the question, the blonde asked Harumi if she could borrow the plum-haired girl's mobile, which the latter happily lent. Checking the phonebook, Yuzu found Matsuri's number and sent her a text.

Harumi: Matsuri~

Matsuri: What do you want, Taniguchi-senpai? I'm not in the mood.

Harumi: It's Yuzu. I lost my phone so I borrowed Harumin's.

Matsuri: Yuzu-chan?! You're not pulling my leg, are you Taniguchi-senpai? (╬ಠ益ಠ)

Harumi: No, it's true. We're on our way out of the hospital and I have a favor to ask.

Matsuri: Glad to know you're better, Yuzu-chan. What is it? And if in case you're Taniguchi-senpai, I'm going to kill you.

Harumi: 100% Yuzu here and can you remotely delete all the files on my phone? Just as a precaution.

Matsuri: Yeah, that should be easy.

Harumi: Oh and one more thing, can you get me one of those phone straps?

Matsuri: Sure, what for though?

Harumi: I want to give it to Mei.

Matsuri: Mei-san again? ლಠ益ಠ)ლ

Harumi: Thanks, Matsuri! ( ˘ ³˘)

Matsuri: UGH. FINE. Meet me at the cafe later, I should have it by then.

Harumi: You're the best, Matsuri. (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Matsuri: (╬ಠ益ಠ)

After finishing her conversation with Matsuri, Yuzu checked on the time. It was only 2:45 PM and they still had time to get a new phone before classes ended, "Thanks Harumin." she returned the mobile to its owner and smiled, "Do you mind if we pass by the mall before we head for the academy? I want to get a replacement phone."

"We do have enough time, why not? We might even get to go shopping for a bit!" Harumi answered. She was obviously pretty excited at the turn of events.

When they arrived at the mall, Yuzu immediately went to the mobile center and considered which phone she wanted. Luckily everything looked the same anyway so there was no point in dwelling on it for too long and once a model was chosen, the blonde ordered two: one in pink and the other in black. "Why are you buying two, Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi asked, baffled by the extra purchase.

"I noticed that Mei doesn't have one and I thought it would be easier to get in contact with her if she did." The blonde answered honestly, "Should we buy her a cute case too?" Harumi teased the blonde who was busy paying at the cashier. "I don't think that's a good idea... she might not like what we choose for her."

Once the purchase was made, the two headed out to meet Matsuri who as promised gave the phone strap to Yuzu and the blonde immediately hooked it onto the black mobile she had just purchased, thanking Matsuri for her efforts as she did. The pink-haired girl was acting normal, a sharp contrast from what Harumi had described her to be just a few hours ago and Yuzu felt relieved that the younger girl seemed to be feeling better.

Bidding Matsuri goodbye, the two headed for Aihara Academy. It was already 4:30 and Mei's classes, which is technically their's too, would be ending soon. Yuzu fidgetted at the gate, not knowing how to meet Mei after the weeks she had been avoiding the raven-haired girl. She was so nervous that it was seeping out of her and onto Harumi who immediately asked what was wrong.

"I'm just a little nervous... she might be mad at me for avoiding her." the blonde shivered, terrified of the retribution Mei had planned for her.

"I don't think she's mad at you, Yuzu-cchi."

"What makes you say that?" Yuzu curiously looks at Harumi who gazed straight on towards the school, eyeing the raven-haired girl who was walking towards them, "Because last night she was holding you like she was on the verge of losing everything." The plum-haired girl smiled softly, before grinning at Yuzu and giving the latter an extremely powerful slap on the back. "Good luck!" she shouted, as she ran away from the blonde.

"Man, that hurt. What did she mean by that?" Yuzu was running her hand over the spot that Harumi slapped, it stung a little but she knew her friend meant well. She saw the familiar curtain of black hair approaching her and suddenly she knew why Harumi decided to ditch her so quickly, "H-Hey Mei..." she shyly greeted the raven-haired girl who seemed to be surprised of her presence.

Mei approached Yuzu, her eyes widened with curiosity as if she was trying to discern if the blonde in front of her was real or she was hallucinating. The intense gaze made Yuzu feel somewhat embarrassed and blood quickly rushed to her cheeks. At that point, Mei was sure that the Yuzu in front of her was real and she let out a sigh of relief before greeting back, "Welcome back, Yuzu." in her usual monotone voice.

* * *

Notes:

Regarding Kei, the original idea about him was to put his personality somewhere in between Yuzu and Mei. He is fun-loving and extroverted but also a little serious when it comes to his studies and how he carries himself in public. With the way he's been appearing, he's kinda got that big brother/player/nice guy vibe about him. I assume that's the reason why people dislike Kei.

The plot is starting to build up and it's an uphill battle to try and keep track of everything at this point. Hopefully, it'll be easier once I get the important pieces down.

* * *

Thanks for leaving reviews. I think I mentioned it before but knowing how the story is being received helps me pace things on my end and I really do appreciate that.

As much as I'd love to have made it 5 chapters yesterday, it was impossible with the amount of time left.


	22. Chapter 22: One Step Forward

Yuzu and Mei walked in silence. Yuzu didn't know what to say and she was honestly half afraid that she would ruin the comfortable air in between them. She knew there was an issue to resolve, that being why she has been avoiding Mei like the plague for the past few weeks but it couldn't hurt to leave it for a little longer, right?

When they arrived at the apartment, Yuzu noticed Mei looking at the paper bag she had been holding. Actually, she knew the girl had been fervently looking at it for the entirety of the trip, she just didn't feel like that was a good place to present the item it was holding inside, "Are you curious about what's inside, Mei?" the blonde asked while kicking her shoes off.

"Not particularly." Mei answered, trying to sound disinterested but Yuzu knew better and quickly handed one of the bags to Mei, encouraging her to look inside, "It's for you. Why don't you check what's inside?" she smiled at the raven-haired girl who held her hand out, trying to push the item back to Yuzu, "I don't want it." A swift refusal.

"But you don't even know what it is!" Yuzu protested, "Come on! Just look, you might like it!" the blonde continued pushing the gift towards the unwilling receiver. Normally, Mei quickly gave up during these situations, choosing to just take the gift instead of wasting her time arguing about it but today was different. Mei may have been playing it cool but she obviously harbored negative feelings over Yuzu's actions.

When Yuzu realized that, she decided that an apology was in order. She didn't even have to tell the real depth of why she was avoiding the raven-haired girl, she could just apologize while tip-toeing around the Ferris Wheel incident. Yuzu stopped forcing Mei to take the gift and held it in front of her chest as she looked down at the floor, "Uhm-Mei about these past few weeks... I'm sorry that I've been running from you. I just... had something to sort out."

Mei looked at Yuzu who was smiling but had such mournful eyes. She WAS distraught by the sudden change in the blonde's behavior but she was really upset about was Yuzu's incessant need to put herself in danger without a second thought. It worried Mei to no end and the thought of being around Yuzu, after the previous day's incident, had become an unbearable thought.

"Yuzu, I'm not mad about that." The blonde lifted her head up at hearing those words, her bright emerald eyes meeting Mei's deep amethysts. "Then is there something else you're upset about?" Yuzu looked at Mei, her eyes wide-eyed in confusion and desperately looking for answer's in the raven-haired girl's face, "Yes, yesterday. Why did you have to do that?"

Yuzu thought about what 'that' was and when she couldn't come to a conclusion, decided to ask Mei to spell it out for her, "What do you mean by 'that'?"

Mei wasn't sure if the blonde was making fun of her or was seriously unaware of what she meant. Knowing Yuzu's nature, she immediately accepted that the blonde would never purposely poke fun at her and Mei decided to answer honestly, "When you saved me from Amemiya and got yourself hurt in my stead." It was her turn to look away from the blonde, planting her eyes on some obscure item on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, you meant that." Yuzu answered with a lower voice, trying to think of an answer for Mei's question, "It probably sounds stupid but when I saw him trying to hit you, I just went on auto-pilot and the only thoughts on my mind were how to save you." Yuzu was a little embarrassed about the answer she found and a quickly placed hand over her lower face was the best she could do to hide the growing blush.

Mei, on the other hand, was unimpressed. She appreciated the help but absolutely hated that the blonde got hurt, she didn't even feel bad for gouging Amemiya's eyes. If she could do it again, she'd gouge both of them. Angry, she was angry and it was unbearable. While she spent the greater part of her life beating down inconvenient emotions, when it concerned Yuzu, the very same emotions lashed out like an undying stream- impossible to suppress.

The raven-haired girl kept quiet and approached the blonde who once again instinctively felt like a trapped rabbit but this time she steeled herself and waited for whatever Mei wanted to do to her. Mei kept her head down, then wrapped her arms around the blonde and buried her face on the girl's shoulder. Yuzu stood still, her body stiffened at the sudden embrace and it wasn't until she felt her shoulder go damp that she realized Mei was crying.

Yuzu smiled a little then wrapped her own arms around the taller girl, placing the paper bag on one hand and stroking Mei's head with the other. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked with a tone that was so soft and gentle, it almost melted the girl who was crying on her shoulder.

"I was afraid." Mei's voice cracked. Those were the hardest words she had ever spoken and it wasn't even the tip of the iceberg but she couldn't bring herself to say more than that. She didn't even know what she was afraid of, was it the impending danger? Her own inability to protect the one who protected her so many times? Or something else entirely? All she knew was at that moment when her eyes met Amemiya's and as she clutched the unconscious blonde, her world went dark and all she could feel was fear.

Yuzu felt Mei tremble and knowing there wasn't anything she could do, stayed silent and held the girl. Choosing to speak only when she felt like Mei had calmed down, "Hey, Mei. Don't worry about all that, okay? We'll catch him soon, then you'll be safe." she tried to cheer her up but Mei didn't feel the least bit comforted by those words. Despite the persistent pain in her chest, Mei chose to let go of the blonde and recompose herself. She realized that she was becoming increasingly emotional these days.

"Are you feeling okay now?" The blonde asked while trying to look into her eyes but Mei avoided the other's gaze, "Yes, I'm sorry." she apologized while straightening herself. Yuzu once again shoved the paper bag towards Mei, forcing her to look straight into those emerald eyes that glinted with kindness, "Wanna open it now?" she asked.

Mei sighed, she didn't feel like arguing over it now. Accepting the paper bag, she headed over to the sofa and took out the box that sat inside, "Yuzu, why did you get me this?" she looked at the blonde with one eyebrow raised. "Well, I noticed you didn't have one and I was planning on getting you one at some point just to make contacting you a little easier but since I lost mine too... that got a little expedited." Yuzu chuckled at Mei's surprised face.

"I can't accept this. It's too much." The raven-haired girl quickly returned the box inside the bag and motioned for Yuzu to take it back but the blonde wasn't gonna let that happen, "Why don't you check inside first before you return it? You're really hurting my feelings here." she pretended to pout, hoping to guilt Mei into accepting the gift and it worked.

Mei cautiously opened the box to reveal a jet black mobile phone inside. It was nothing special but what caught her attention was the phone strap that held a tiny bear dangling on the side, "From the look on your face, I'm guessing you like it?" Yuzu spoke after seeing a small blush appear on Mei's cheeks, "I wasn't sure if you liked these kinds of things. I'm so relieved." the blonde let out a satisfied sigh.

"Thank you but this is really too much. Can I pay you back for it?" Mei tried one last time to haggle with Yuzu, "Nope. If it bothers you so much, then you can think about it like payment for letting me stay here for free."

Mei wanted to protest a little more but the sudden click of the door caused both her and Yuzu to jolt from their seat and turn towards the front door. There was an enormous gift wrapper with arms and legs standing at the entrance, Yuzu didn't know what to think so she called out to the 'gift-monster', "Who are you?" she asked and the man replied, "More like, who are you?" before lowering the gift wrapped item to the floor.

The raven-haired girl immediately recognized the man with his hair styled back and his pressed suit, "Father? What are you doing here?" she questioned, causing the blonde much confusion in the process. "I wanted to come as soon as I could but work held me back a few weeks." He replied to her, eyes softening at meeting his daughter's before looking at the blonde who had her mouth wide open.

"Young lady, it's improper to stare with your mouth open like that." He chuckled lightly, making fun of Yuzu who was still trying to process what just happened. "Father, this is the detective that's been accompanying me. Her name is Okogi Yuzu." Mei came to the rescue and introduced her companion to the older Aihara, "I see. So, you're Okogi Yuzu. It's nice to meet you." he answered, approaching the girl and pulling her into a hug.

The blonde struggled inside the man's grasp and tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. "Father, that's highly inappropriate." Mei finally interjected and the man finally let go of the blonde before introducing himself, "Hello Yuzu-chan, I'm Aihara Sho. Mei's father. Thank you for taking care of my daughter." he bowed respectfully at the Yuzu who didn't know how to react.

"Ah? Ah! Hello, I'm Okogi Yuzu. It's nice to meet you!" she also bowed respectfully at the older man who smiled kindly at her. Yuzu thought that Sho didn't resemble Mei one bit he felt more easygoing despite bearing the name of Aihara and there was a childish air about him.

"Father, will you be staying here?" Mei asked and Yuzu suddenly realized that she's currently occupying the man's room, "Yes, but only for a week, then I'll stay with your father for another week and off to Britain I go." He answered while using his hands to copy a plane taking off and Yuzu thought he was a little closer to Kei with the childish antics.

"Then Yuzu, do you mind moving your things back to my room for the meantime?" Mei directed at the blonde who nodded in agreement. "That's not necessary, I can just sleep on the sofa." Sho suggested but Yuzu was quick to refuse him, "No, Aihara-san. That would be extremely rude of me and I don't mind staying with Mei."

"All right, if you insist. Though calling me Aihara-san is a little... how about you call me Sho instead?" Sho had a point, technically Mei is 'Aihara-san' too but it would've been very rude to call such an esteemed man by his first name and so the blonde decided to politely decline the offer. "I'm sorry, Aihara-san. I don't think it would be very appropriate for me to call someone in your position by your first name. I would feel extremely rude." She bowed apologetically, earning her Sho's respect at the same time.

"How about you call me 'Papa' then? I always wanted another daughter." he said jokingly with a smirk on his face. Yuzu was flabbergasted by the older Aihara's remark but nothing tickled Sho's funny bone more than Mei's face. His little girl looked like she was just about ready to throw him out at any second. "I'm joking, I'm joking." He quickly retracted, afraid of his own daughter, "But you can call me uncle instead. Reasonable?" Yuzu gave a nod before facing Mei.

"Mei, I'll leave you with Sho-ojisan so you two can catch up. I'll move my stuff in the meantime. It's nice to meet you, Sho-ojisan." Yuzu excused herself with a bow and headed for the bedroom after Mei nodded in agreement.

"She's a nice girl," Sho commented as soon as Yuzu left. Mei could see that her father was quite impressed with the blonde. He always had an affinity with fun-loving people like Yuzu and Mei always thought that it was the reason why her father, who used to be just as strict as her grandfather, gradually changed after the divorce. What was once the stoic and strict father had changed to a more carefree man.

"She is." Mei finally replied as awkwardness took over. She had spent a lot of time with her father when they were in England but she never got over the fact that her father chose to work abroad instead of stay with her in Japan. For 10 years, she barely saw her father's face aside from the occasional visits and by the time she was accepted to the university in England and obtained her grandfather's blessing, it was already too late. The relationship between her and Sho was already estranged.

"Mei," Sho's tone was more serious this time, "I understand that Amemiya has gone after you more than once. I don't doubt your detective friend but don't you think it's a better idea to stay with your grandfather instead? I've allowed you to stay here but I can't just let you do as you wish when you've been attacked twice already." Mei cursed herself. If she hadn't ditched Harumi that day, then she wouldn't be in this predicament and Yuzu wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"I understand what you mean, Father."

"But?" he interjected.

Mei stayed silent for a while, composing herself and reasoning in her mind, "But I would like to stay here." she finally answered. Sho was a little surprised, Mei had never gone against decisions made for her and yet the girl was expressing her opinion for the first time in 14 years. He knew it wasn't a good idea but he also didn't have the heart to force her back to the cold mansion that he hated himself.

"I'll allow it until I return to England. After that, if Amemiya hasn't been caught, you will return to Aihara mansion. Is that understood?" Sho looked at Mei, trying to read her expression but the girl kept a calm face and simply nodded to her father's wish.

* * *

Notes:

If it wasn't clearly stated, Sho here didn't go gallivanting across the globe when Mei was 11. He continued working under the Aihara name but went to England in order to expand their business and with grandpa Aihara's permission. Mei didn't see him for 10 years after that but stayed with him when she went to England for college.

* * *

ZuTian: No more lighthearted chapters for a while.

*2 chapters later*

ZuTian: I lied. Burn me.


	23. Chapter 23: Try and Try Until You?

A visit to the Aihara mansion was in order the following day. Sho originally planned to go alone but he couldn't resist dragging his daughter along for the ride, hoping to spend as much time with her as he could. Of course, he also made sure to bring the blonde along despite the latter's fervent refusal.

"Yuzu-chan, you don't have to be so nervous. He doesn't bite." Sho remarked when he noticed the blonde fidgetting uncomfortably as they wait for the maid to announce their presence to the eldest Aihara, "I'm not nervous. I'm just-" 'Just what?' she thought. 'Terrified.' Mei was attacked under her watch and while technically it was Mei who decided to ditch Harumi, Yuzu knew that wasn't an excuse and the old man probably had a few choice words to tell her.

"Yuzu." Mei's voice failed to reach the blonde who was too deep into hysteria to hear her. "Yuzu." she tried again, a little more loudly this time.

"Sorry, Mei. What is it?" The blonde finally replied, "My hand." Mei trailed her eye down, trying to lead Yuzu's attention to it. Yuzu didn't even notice but somehow she had instinctively grabbed onto Mei's hand and was squeezing the life out of it, earning her a few glares from the raven-haired girl and a lot more laughs from the older Aihara in the room.

"Yuzu-chan, are you that scared that you need Mei to hold your hand?" the man made a quippy remark to the blonde's embarrassment. "That's not it!" she protested, fully knowing they wouldn't believe a single word she uttered considering her panicked appearance. "Don't worry too much about it." Sho reaches out to ruffle Yuzu's hair. He knew that his father would most likely harbor a bit of anger towards the blonde for allowing Amemiya so close to Mei but he wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Making their way up the study, they found the Aihara patriarch in his natural habitat, buried in front of documents and business matters. It didn't matter if it was raining or sunny; an ordinary day or his only son's birthday, the old man would always be working and that's the way it always was for as long as Sho could remember, "Hello father, it's been a while." he greeted with a slight bow.

The old man simply nodded in reply and spoke distantly, "It has. What brings you here?" he didn't even bother to look up from behind the stacks of paper to greet his son. Sho chuckled bitterly at the exchange, "Can't a son come to visit his father without a reason?" he answered with a hint challenge but the old man didn't care enough to take him up on it.

"You wouldn't come here just to greet me, Sho." hearing additional footsteps entering the room, the patriarch finally abandoned his work and looked at Sho's companions, "Hello Mei." he acknowledged his granddaughter's presence before eyeing the blonde from head to toe, "And Okogi-san. I've heard about what happened the other day and I am very disappointed that I trusted you with my granddaughter's safety." Yuzu bowed her head in shame.

"Father!" Sho quickly called out the old man's apprehension of Yuzu, however, the old man didn't care for his opinion in the matter and continued brutally insulting the blonde, "When your superior came to me, I knew you were going to be trouble but I decided to have a little faith in the police and look at where we are now."

"Grandfather!" It was Mei's turn to try and stop the assault but a weak hand tugging on her sweater caused her to stop and look at the blonde who's hand conveyed her emotions, "It's okay, Mei. Your grandfather's right." She was shaking. The Yuzu who had thrown herself in front of a gun and fought Amemiya twice for Mei's sake was completely trembling before the old man who looked so frail he might as well crumble from the weight of a pen, "But-" Mei tried to reason with Yuzu.

"This is no place for you, Okogi. Please wait outside and reflect on your incompetence." The old man ordered and Yuzu complied. Bowing in respect before turning around to leave the room. "Father, don't you think you were a bit harsh?" Sho asked as soon as Yuzu left. He knows the gravity of what might have happened to his daughter but he also knew that Mei was partly to blame for what happened.

"And what do you expect me to do, Sho? Congratulate her for letting someone dangerous near Mei? What would we do if something happened to her?" The old man was raising his voice which wasn't unusual but at the same time isn't common when it came to family matters. He was always stoic and appeared as if he didn't care much for those who shared his bloodline, "Is it her safety that you're worried about or the fact that you won't have a third generation heir if something happened to her?" Sho's words seeped with venom, angering the old man.

"What are you implying?! How dare you!" The sudden outburst strained the old man, throwing him into a coughing fit. The patriarch isn't as young as he used to be and as such, knew that his time was limited. If anything he had avoided any excessive stress but his son always seemed to find the right thing to say when it came to bursting the lid on his father's anger.

"Stop it!" Mei finally stepped in, seeing the seething anger in both her father and grandfather, "Grandfather, it really wasn't her fault. If anything you should be angry at me. I was the one who left without informing her or her partner." Mei was angry at herself for making that decision and if it wasn't bad enough that Yuzu was physically injured because of it, now the blonde also had the emotional baggage from the old man's ranting.

"That girl discarded her own safety for me, not once but thrice. Please don't talk down on her like that. For gratitude, if nothing else." She pleaded with the old man. Sho was right, he wasn't unreasonable and he knew that the blonde had earned some of his respect. There was also no way for him to ignore the strong emotions being displayed by Mei at that moment, "I understand." he replied to his granddaughter.

"Mei, your grandfather and I have much to discuss. Do you mind accompanying Yuzu-chan in the meantime? I'm sure she would love some company right now." Mei wordlessly agreed to her father's request and extended an apology to the eldest Aihara, "I apologize for shouting, grandfather." she bowed and excused herself from the room, leaving the two older Aiharas on their own.

"What is it now, Sho?" The old man was still visibly agitated at what had transpired and even though he felt strongly about Mei's wishes, his son was a different matter entirely. While Sho had lived a life befitting of an Aihara, he didn't carry himself as such and was often too kind or soft on business matters causing him to appear weak in the patriarch's eyes.

"Father, what's happening with the Amemiyas?" Sho went directly to the point. There was always animosity in between the Amemiyas and the Aiharas ever since the engagement between the eldest son, Hideki, and Mei was broken, "They've been quiet for a while but why are they suddenly rearing their heads and going after Mei?" the barrage of questions caused the old man to remove his glasses and pinch the bridge oh his nose in frustration.

"I am unable to answer that, however, it's only a matter of time before that scum, Amemiya Hideki, is caught." The patriarch sounded like he truly believed those words but Sho couldn't help but be a little skeptical about it, "I hope that's true." The remark caused a bit of alarm in the old man. It sounded dire and foreboding as if death himself was being called and invited in.

"Sho, is there something else you're worried about?" he asked the younger man with worry and curiosity, "I know they've been trying to find a way to damage our reputation since the incident with Mei and the disgrace that their eldest son brought to them. I'm just worried that they'll find skeletons in the closet... maybe it would be better for me to distance myself from the Aihara name entirely?" Sho laughed bitterly at his own words.

For years he had hated being born into the Aihara family. The cold interactions weren't something you got used to even though at some point in his life, he started raising his own children the same way. For a time he had wanted to sever all connections with the Aihara business but in the end, he stayed. Now the issue was being brought up once more but not for his own sake, no, this time he was trying to protect the name he always hated- how ironic.

"Sho, I believe we've agreed to never speak about that. They won't find anything if that puts your mind at ease." The older Aihara studied his son's face. There was a matter of great importance a few years ago, something that could definitely be used to ruin the entire legacy he had so painstakingly built but they managed to bury the entire incident.

Tapping his finger impatiently on the large oak desk, he looked down, trying to remember the look on his son's face when he came to him for help that night. The image of a younger Sho with tears flowing down his face was enough to send the older Aihara in a state of panic. The son he had so strictly raised to be an exemplary heir had crumbled and it only got worse from there.

"Tell me, Sho," the old man looked up, gazing sternly at his son's face, "Why are you suddenly talking about this?" he questioned his son's motivation behind wanting to be disinherited by the family and speaking of the past. "Because it feels like I'm not going to be able to run from it anymore... especially now that she's here." Sho looked straight at his father, confusion painting the older man's face.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

In another part of the mansion, Mei and Yuzu sat quietly on the bed, next to each other. The blonde was distraught by the words he heard from the old man and she was never good at hiding her emotions. This often caused her to be laughed at by the police academy instructors as they pointed out that she would never make a good negotiator or interrogator because of her honesty, "Yuzu, I'm sorry." Mei broke the silence, surprising the blonde.

"What are you on about, Mei? It's not your fault. Everything your grandfather said was right and besides-"

"That's not what I'm apologizing about." Mei was quick to cut the blonde off, "I'm apologizing about leaving without informing Taniguchi-san. If I had, then this would've never happened." Mei bit her lip, it wasn't often that she had to apologize for actually doing something wrong. In fact, she had never apologized genuinely to anyone but her grandfather.

"Mei, I was wondering. Why DID you leave that day?" The raven-haired girl hung her head low. She was ashamed of herself. Her emotions had gotten the better of her, clouding her judgment and in that moment of weakness, she wanted to leave everything behind, "I had a lot on my mind and I wanted to be alone to sort myself out."

"Jeez, Mei. When you have a problem, what you should be doing is talking to people about it! You don't go trying to solve everything on your own!" The blonde fumed at Mei, clearly displeased that something like that was the cause of the entire incident, "Besides, if you want to talk about something, you know I'll always listen to you." she added.

Mei thought about it, what was she feeling? What was causing her all these troubled thoughts and unstable emotions? Shiraho mentioned something along the lines of love but what exactly was 'love.' What she felt was more akin to slow torture, the rapid increase of her heartbeat, the butterflies at the pit of her stomach and the hatred that crept up on her every now and then.

"Mei?" the blonde lowered her head in an attempt to see Mei's face that was hidden behind those luscious strands of black hair and at that moment, the raven-haired girl had lost all reason once more. It didn't matter, she just wanted to confirm what it was that had settled so deep into her that every waking moment was both bliss and agony.

"Yuzu..." Mei glanced at the blonde beside her, their eyes meeting with the same emotion shared on the Ferris wheel, "there's something I've been meaning to confirm with you." The raven-haired girl continued, leaning just a little bit closer to Yuzu, their faces only inches apart as Mei continued to speak, "There's this feeling that flickered deep inside me ever since I met you and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't ignore it."

A small blush appeared on Yuzu's face, Mei's words had a way of doing this to her and with the latter's face at such close proximity, the blonde couldn't help but shuffle on the bed in an attempt to move back and create some space to breathe in, "M-Mei, I-I don't understand what you mean." Yuzu fumbled with her words as she tried to break eye contact with Mei.

Mei wasn't about to let the blonde escape, at least not until she got answers. Shifting her weight, Mei quickly got on top of Yuzu, straddling the girl and firmly keeping her captive in place with her own weight. Yuzu was startled by the sudden turn of events, somewhat struggling under Mei as she sat up but one look into those amethyst eyes and she could no longer find the strength to resist the raven-haired girl. The feeling of blood rushing through the capillaries on her face became so intense that she felt as if she would burn right there and then.

"Yuzu." Mei's voice was sultry, silvery and yet for the first time... nervous. Yuzu waited patiently, her back carrying the weight of her body while Mei firmly placed both of her hands on each side of the blonde. The raven-haired girl clutched at the sheets, whitening her knuckles from the force. She was trying to find the words to say and Yuzu didn't utter a word for fear that it would discourage the other girl.

When Mei finally felt ready, she gazed directly into the blonde's eyes, "It gripped at me, troubled me and yet I couldn't find a reason. I couldn't understand it." Yuzu looked intently at the raven-haired girl looking so vulnerable at that moment.

"Tell me, Yuzu... Why do I feel this way towards you? Is it really possible that I-" Mei's words were caught in her throat once more, she couldn's utter those words. Yuzu looked on curiously at Mei who was now visibly struggling to verbalize what was in her mind. Instinctively, Yuzu threw her arms around the troubled girl, trying to comfort her, "I'm not sure what this is about but... if you can't say it now, then I'll be here and wait until you're ready."

Yuzu's words were like honey in Mei's ears. She knew the blonde probably didn't even know what she was trying to get across and yet somehow the girl knew exactly what to say. Mei melted against Yuzu's arms, allowing herself a brief respite before a soft knock came and invited them to dinner.

* * *

Notes:

Hello, everyone. Thanks for enjoying this as usual!

I'm a bit short on space so I'll try to keep this short:

I like writing Mei as a difficult person because I think it is a more honest expression of her affection when she finally DOES break through the walls and open up. It's not so much that I want Yuzu to 'fight' for Mei, but that I want Mei to 'fight' herself, position and everything she stood for just to be with Yuzu.

I'm completely excited to get the ball rolling on the killer and the revelations that come along with it! It's very fun to write this because it also feels like I'm discovering the characters and their motivation as I go along. Though it does become a bit too much when I decide to change parts of the story when I come up with a "cooler" scenario. Then I need to go back and see if everything checks out and there are no conflicts with what's already published.

Finally, I can already feel I'm gonna get hated for these interrupted and half-fulfilled moments between Mei and Yuzu. Haha.


	24. Chapter 24: The Sad Fate of Life

It's 6 AM, the time that people usually go out on for a morning walk and on a day like this where the sun had barely risen from its own slumber, who could resist? A handful of people went out on their usual morning routine, some young, others old but that didn't deter them from each having their own variation of a daily run.

Amongst the people going about their day was a lone crown of blonde hair striding through the streets, wiping her forehead free of hair as sweat continuously stuck them to her skin. Huffing loudly as she turned another corner, she could already see the crowd of passersby gathering near the river and a voice shouting at the onlookers, "All right! Back it up! This is a crime scene, please be more mindful!"

Yuzu pushed past the group of people lined up against the police line, each person too busy trying to get a glimpse of what was happening to bother with her presence. When she finally managed to get near the barricade, an officer called out to her, "Hey! You're not allowed here!" he scolded the blonde, not knowing her occupation as his senior.

"I'm a detective with the Tokyo Police Department," she hastily replied, "Here's my ID and that's my superior officer over there." not bothering to let the younger officer prevent her from entering the crime scene, Yuzu pointed towards Goro who looked like he was having the worst day of his life. The stern scowl on his face looking even more dreadful and angry than usual.

On the other hand, right beside him was a man that Yuzu had nothing but contempt for and that's saying a lot considering the blonde's personality. The man not being much older than Goro, looked a lot more relaxed. Yuzu would even describe him as not really caring as he continuously yawned while speaking with Goro. His eyes fluttering from side to side as if to look for something more interesting. It was Kurosawa Hiroto, the same man who had fired two shots at Homura Makoto.

"Goro-senpai!" Yuzu called out to her superior as she approached the two older men, "Kurosawa-san." she also acknowledged the other man despite the clear disdain in her greeting. She never liked Kurosawa, he was always lazy and condescending, often looking down on junior officers to the point that he treats them as his personal attendants but all that Yuzu could forgive. What she really hated was the man's disrespect of her father, often pointing out that the late Okogi Kyou was nothing more than a glorified idiot who took more than he could handle and ended up dead.

"Okogi." Kurosawa sneered at her before speaking to Goro, "Yamada-san, let's leave it at that. I don't want to stay here much longer than I need to. I'm sure this brilliant young detective here will be more help than my old bones." That comment wasn't a praise, Yuzu knew as much but it wasn't worth the trouble to lose her temper here. Besides, there was a much more important issue at hand so with a scoff, she let it go and Kurosawa left.

"That Kurosawa... this is why he never gets promoted." Goro scratched his scruffy bearded jawline as if frustrated by the older man's personality, "Anyway. You got here pretty fast, Okogi. That's surprising considering the time."

"I came as soon as I got the call. Luckily, Mei's dad is in town so I didn't have to worry about leaving her alone."

"I see, that's good news. We might need your full attention for the next few days."

"So... it's really her then?" Yuzu asked nervously. A call from Goro woke her when it was barely the crack of dawn. It concerned a body that was found at XX district near the river and based on the description she had briefly received from Goro, who himself was still on the way to the location, Yuzu already had the gnawing feeling of who the victim was.

"Yes, I've personally confirmed it." Goro motioned for Yuzu to follow him towards body, "Taniguchi should be here soon, we'll start when she arrives but before then, Okogi, I know how you are. Are you sure you're able to handle this?" Goro's fears weren't unfounded. This would be the first time that Yuzu got involved in a case where the victim was someone she met personally.

"I don't know... but I-" the blonde paused, words stuck in her throat and unable to roll out of her mouth. Yuzu was petrified. It took everything she had to convince herself that she had to do this. It was bound to happen again in the future and if she couldn't get over such incidents, then she wasn't really fit to stay in her profession. Gathering every ounce of willpower, she continued. "I want to do this... No, I need to do it."

Goro sighed to himself, the blonde had nothing but kindness in her. Maybe a little bit to kind to the point of fault, she empathized with everyone and that was a dangerous thing to do in this line of profession. At some point, it would undoubtedly cause her grave injury- or death. 'Like father, like daughter.' he thought.

It took 20 minutes before Harumi finally arrived in a less than subtle manner as she pushed through the growing crowd and shouted at every pedestrian who dared to get too close to the police line. Yuzu was thankful that her friend took a little longer than expected, it was exactly what she needed to steel herself for the eventuality that was about to take place.

"Yuzu-cchi, Goro-senpai, sorry I took so long." The plum-haired girl apologized.

"No problem, Taniguchi. I know your house is pretty far from here so that's expected. The coroner should just be about done as well, so it's actually perfect timing."

Hibiki was standing over where the body was covered and ordering a few people around to gather some images before finally turning around to acknowledge the detectives who've been waiting for her to finish processing the body, "Yo, detectives." She greeted them with a smile on her face. If there was anything unsettling about Hibiki, it was the woman's ability to smile no matter what state of decay or mutilation her 'corpse of the day' was in. Usually, it helped lighten the mood but today it wasn't helping as the blonde was already struggling with keeping herself in check.

"What's your findings, Hibiki?" Goro asked, his unusual scowl tipped the coroner on the gravity of the situation and the smile plastered onto Hibiki's face dissipated into a more reticent look. Her voice taking on a serious tone as she answered him, "The victim is Homura Mio-" Yuzu's world stopped when she heard the name. It was one thing to have a gut feeling, it was another to have it confirmed.

"Yuzu-cchi, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" the plum-haired girl observed how pale Yuzu was. The blonde was white as a sheet, her lips quivering even though she tried so hard to remain and appear calm, "I-I'm fine. Please continue." she quickly responded, trying to brush aside her friend's observation while Goro and Hibiki looked at her with concern.

"All right." Hibiki nodded in agreement before continuing her assessment, "We found bruising and swelling all over her body, which suggests she's been beaten... er- understatement of the century considering how bad the injuries are. I'd have to do an autopsy to see just how extensive the beating was but judging from the body, she wasn't dead for more than 5 hours."

Hibiki asked the detectives to come closer to the victim, "Okogi, are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked the blonde before reaching out towards the plastic tarp that was covering the corpse. The blonde gave a weak nod and Hibiki slowly pulled off the cover, revealing Homura Mio's lifeless body underneath. She was badly bruised to the point of being mostly blue instead of the usual paleness seen in dead bodies.

To Yuzu's comfort, she was fully clothed and it didn't look like it was the work of the Doll Maker. She would've breathed a sigh of relief but really, there was no relieving the pain she felt. Yuzu liked Mio, she had hoped that the girl who cared so much for her brother and sincerely extended her apology towards Mei would have nothing but a brighter life ahead of her and yet here she was, lying lifeless on the damp ground. It irked Yuzu, she hated everything about this.

"As you can see nearly her whole body is covered in bruises and cuts. Looks like she was beaten for at least a few days before she ended up here. Also, if you look at this-" Hibiki tilted Mio's head to the left, showing a large injury to her skull at the back of her head, "that is the cause of death. My guess is fell from the bridge and hit her head down here."

"Why do you assume that she fell? Wouldn't it make more sense if she was pushed?" Harumi asked, pointing to the fact that her attacker may as well have thrown her off instead letting her wander around on the streets.

"No, she tipped over." Yuzu was the one who answered.

"What gave you that idea?" Goro asked the blonde to explicate her theory.

"Look up there." She pointed towards the bridge railing a couple of feet above them, it was faint but the red mark on it was clearly visible against the start silver metal, "She was holding onto that rail, tipped over and fell down here. It also matches with the position of her body with the placement of the head injury."

"That's true but the head damage would also look like this if she was dumped over, head first, at the right angle," Harumi questioned Yuzu once more, trying to make sense of the blonde's deduction.

"Yes, but with her height and the height of that railing, the perp. would've had to carry her high enough to easily throw her over. Let's consider that she's unconscious at that moment and her arm scrapes the railing as she falls down, then the blood should've been on the bridge side of the railing and not visible from here. But those look like she was clutching onto the railing. If the opposite was true and she was conscious, causing her to try and grab the railing before falling, then a palm print should be visible and her legs would've received the most damage."

Yuzu ran up back towards the street and climbed onto the bridge, to confirm her theory but instead, she noticed something else. "Goro-senpai! There's more blood here!" Having heard the blonde, Goro, Hibiki, and Harumi followed her to the bridge and saw a few more bloody hand marks along the railing. Starting from the side closest to the road was a long line of blood, then a set of fingerprints that could've only been made if she had her back against the rail, holding onto it with her palms above the top or the railing. A few more bloody thumbprints later and they saw the final one that confirmed Yuzu's hypothesis.

"From the looks of it, she came from the main street over there, headed towards this bridge with a bloody left hand, trying to support her weight through the railing. Whatever happened, she faced towards the other side of the bridge or maybe towards the start of it, walked a little further and fell off?" Goro summarized Yuzu's explanation.

"Yes, at least that's what I think happened." The blonde confirmed that Goro's summarization was correct.

"Well, one thing's for sure. This isn't Doll Maker, which is both good and bad." Goro knew the implications. It's good that it wasn't Doll Maker as it would mean they now had no pattern to his victimization if it was but now they have a second murderer prowling the streets of Tokyo and complicating things further. Whether or not it was connected to Homura Makoto's attempted kidnapping of Mei was still up for debate. All they know is that something is happening and they have no idea how to deal with it.

A few more officers followed them to the bridge and took photos of the bloody prints, making sure to process the scene as best they could before finally transporting all the evidence for further review. Hibiki approached the detectives, informing them that a more detailed report would be ready as soon as she finished examining them and distributing the rest to their specific departments.

"Goro-senpai. Why was Kurosawa-san here?" Yuzu asked her superior. She found it odd that Kurosawa Hiroto was assigned to a case like this, he had never gotten liked assignments due to his half-assed attitude and tendency to fail at bringing results. Nearly two decades ago, Kurosawa was also the one handling the case of Okogi Kyou's murder and it remained unsolved until this day.

"He was assigned by the chief because we're a little short-handed, although to be honest? I think the chief just wants someone to watch him so he doesn't do anything stupid while working." Goro answered honestly. Chief Mizusawa had been keeping a close eye on Kurosawa since the incident with Homura Makoto but even before then the chief had been keeping the man off of the more important cases in fears that he would deface the police force with his short temper and drunken habits.

"As long as he doesn't get in the way, I guess." Harumi commented, unaware of the distaste the blonde had towards Kurosawa, "Anyway, Goro-senpai. Isn't this really bad? Homura Mio probably knew something and now she's been silenced. Do you think this has something to do with Pre- I mean, Aihara Mei? That's the only thing I can think of right now." Harumi crossed her arms in front of her chest and sighed.

"She mentioned having a boyfriend, didn't she? We should make that our priority. Often times, crimes like this... it's always the lover. We don't know if it has anything to do with the Aiharas but at this point, that isn't really off the table. I want the two of you on this, Doll Maker has been quiet for now so let's focus on this for now." It was the last thing that Goro wanted to say but they really weren't having much progress on the Doll Maker killings.

"We can talk to her co-workers and see if they know who the guy is," Harumi answered, quickly coming up with a solution to finding the man in question, "Plus, I bet he's been around her house and we'll have some eyewitnesses there that can describe him."

"What about the convenience store? The one she mentioned when her boyfriend found Makoto-kun." Asked the blonde.

"Mizusawa Matsuri should have them already. You can check with her regarding that." Goro answered as he wrote down everything that's been discussed. The chief would be wanting to hear from him after this and there was no way he was coming in unprepared, "All right. We'll leave it at that. Call me if you find anything and I'll let you know from my end as well. Also, before you go, Taniguchi, could you give us a minute?" Harumi agreed and gave the two some space, choosing to walk ahead and wait for Yuzu a few steps away.

"Okogi. You understand that you're getting involved in dangerous cases, don't you?" Goro sounded apprehensive and sullen, "If you're planning on staying on these cases, I need to know that you're in your top form and I don't mean how soft you are."

Yuzu looked down, a bit uncomfortable at the questions and scolding she was receiving from Goro. There was, after all, a reason why Yuzu's hand to hand combat abilities were way beyond what was normal to a police officer. The truth was that while she was capable of using a gun, the blonde was never able to fire one, "I'm sorry, Goro-senpai. I don't know how to answer that." she openly admitted to the man who was dismayed by the answer.

"Do you even at least bring it with you?"

"Yes..." She answered, showing her pistol holstered on her waist underneath the baggy sweatshirt she was wearing, "not at the academy though."

"Good, but I want you to bring it everywhere from now on. This isn't child's play anymore. You're also responsible for Aihara Mei until the threat on her life has been eliminated and that means you MUST be able to defend her no matter what the cost. Do you understand, Okogi?" Goro was frustrated, so frustrated that he had been raising his voice unintentionally.

"Yes, Goro-senpai." the blonde answered meekly.

"Your deductions are brilliant but don't get yourself killed just because you're too afraid to kill someone in order to protect yourself." On that note, Goro left Yuzu behind. Walking up to Harumi and bidding her farewell. Harumi looked back to her friend and partner who stayed in the same spot and looking dejected at the scolding she had just received.


	25. Chapter 25: The History of 'Us'

"Yuzu-cchi, what are you doing?" Harumi looked at the blonde who furiously typed on her phone, "I'm sending Mei a text. Since we probably won't be able to go to school today, I thought it would be a good idea to let her know so Sho-ojisan can fetch her after school." the blonde answered.

"Wow, Yuzu-cchi... I mean, I understand she can't be alone but you're even on first name basis with her dad... that's kind of impressive." Harumi playfully wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck as she tried to peek at the screen from behind Yuzu, "Does Prez. even answer?" she asked curiously, noticing the number of texts sent by Yuzu without a single reply from Mei.

"No..." Yuzu felt glum, ever since she got the mobile phone for Mei, she had been continuously trying to get the raven-haired girl to use it whenever they weren't around each other but no reply was ever given no matter how many messages and funny images she sent to the girl, "I don't think she'll ever reply to me." Yuzu continued feeling depressed over Mei's refusal to acknowledge her texts.

Yuzu: Mei, I have some work to do with Harumin. Can you call Sho-ojisan and let him know so he can come get you after class?

Yuzu: Mei?

Yuzu: Meeeeeeeeeeeei. (＞△＜Uu

Yuzu: You better not be thinking about leaving on your own! (ಠ ∩ಠ)

The blonde sighed, not like she was expecting a fancy conversational reply but this WAS kind of important and she hoped that Mei would say something... anything was fine, "Maybe I should call?" she asked Harumi, wanting to know her friend's opinion on the matter.

"It can't hurt to try." Harumi uninterestedly answered while paying for the boba tea they had ordered and offering one to Yuzu, "but if she's not replying to your texts, what makes you think she'll answer a call?" the plum-haired girl asked before taking a sip from her cup.

"I don't know. I just don't want to be worried all day long." Yuzu replied, taking the boba tea from Harumi before pressing the call button. 'Ring...ring...ring...' she got a little more nervous with each tone that passed. What if Mei was in trouble again? Dark thoughts clouded Yuzu's mind, going from the worst case scenarios to worsest-worst-worst ones, until finally the line was picked up, "Hello?" the voice from the other line called out.

"Mei? Sorry, I hope I didn't bother you. I sent you a message but you didn't reply, so I got worried..." She swatted the worry from her mind.

"It's fine, Yuzu. Class just ended and your call came while I was reading the text. Don't worry, Himeko will join me for lunch and father has already arranged for a chauffeur to drive me back to the apartment." Mei gave a straight answer and Himeko could be heard shouting in the background, relieving the blonde of any residual doubt that the raven-haired girl was alone.

"Okogi Yuzu! How dare you leave Mei-Mei at such a crucial time?! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to-"

"Calm down, Himeko." Mei scolded her friend before apologizing to the blonde, "I'm sorry, Yuzu. She's very energetic today."

"It's okay. Tell her I'm sorry and that I'll be counting on her for today. I need to go now. Stay safe, Mei."

"You too, Yuzu."

When the call ended, Yuzu felt strangely elated, she didn't know if it was because Mei answered the call or if it was that the raven-haired girl wished her well too, all she knew was that it felt great and right now she would willingly speak to everyone at Homura Mio's office and work hard. The sudden boost in positivity didn't go unnoticed in Harumi's eyes, "Looks like Prez. told you something nice," she spoke with a teasing smirk.

"It's not much. She just wished me well but I feel so happy about it for some reason." Yuzu's smile was blinding, it was almost like she didn't even see a corpse nor got ground into fine dust by Goro's scolding just an hour and a half ago.

Harumi couldn't help but smile back at her friend. 'Late bloomer' was a word she thought best described Yuzu and she recognized the emotions being displayed by the blonde, however, Harumi was never the type to forcefully pry into other people's business. She thought it was best to wait for Yuzu to discover the feelings that the blonde possibly felt for Aihara Mei. If she had to wait forever for Yuzu to open up about it, then that's exactly what she would do. That was the friendship that Harumi shared with Yuzu- it was unquestioning, loyal and faithful.

Coming up to an intersection, the two found a brightly colored building. Checking the name of the building confirmed that they were in the right place and the two hurriedly entered through the main door where they were greeted by the woman sitting on the front desk, "Hi there, how may I help you?" the woman smiled at them.

"Good afternoon, we're detectives Okogi and Taniguchi. We called about a meeting with the manager regarding Homura Mio." Harumi answered politely while showing her badge to the woman and urging Yuzu to do the same. After looking at their IDs the woman got up and spoke, "Okogi-san, Taniguchi-san, we were expecting you. Please follow me." she motioned for them to follow her into the manager's office.

Upon opening the door, the woman went ahead and introduced the two of them to the branch manager and excused herself. The man looked no older than 35 and had his dark brown hair side-parted and slicked back in a very elegant manner yet his face, much like all other rich people she knew, had that permanent scowl plastered on it, unchanging even as he got up to greet them.

"Good morning," he approached them while giving a slight bow, "I am Udagawa Reito, the manager of this establishment. I believe that you're detectives Okogi and Taniguchi?" he looked at them and the two nodded in agreement, "I see, I've been expecting you. Please, take a seat." he led the two towards a set of large sofas that looked like they were specifically used to entertain guests.

"I've already received a call from one of your colleagues who explained the situation. Please, feel free to ask any question and I'll answer them as best as I can." He sat on the chair opposite of where Yuzu and Harumi had settled in, popping the buttons of his coat open as he did. Udagawa Reito eyed the detectives who prepared for the interview.

"Udagawa-san, regarding Homura Mio, could you give us a brief description of what she's like at work and any personal background that you might know of?"

"Very well. We're usually very strict about which employees to hire and she didn't really have a degree nor experience to speak of, however, we hired her because she had the recommendation of someone from the main Udagawa family. At first I thought it would be a bad idea, frankly speaking, but she turned out to be quite the earnest and hard worker."

"She quickly got along with her workmates as well and I believe she did not have any enemies within the company. I never had any issues with her either, though there was some rumor going around that she was in a somewhat abusive relationship and her brother was a delinquent. I wouldn't be able to confirm either rumor though, as I tend to stay out of our employees' personal lives. If you'd like to know more, then I could call Nagai-san and Aoi-san. They're Homura-san's closest friends from what I'm told."

"That would be great, Udagawa-san." Yuzu and Harumi gladly accepted the offer prompting Udagawa Reito to immediately head over to his table and inform his secretary to send for the two employees. "By the way, Udagawa-san. The man who recommended Homura-san... can you tell us who he is?" Harumi asked as soon as the man finished speaking on the intercom.

"Yes, he's the second son of the main Udagawa family, Udagawa Yasu. He's my second cousin if that's of any importance." Yuzu quickly penned the name and made a question mark beside it, signifying the possible importance of the person and his connection with the case. "One more thing, Udagawa-san. Regarding Homura-san's boyfriend, would you happen to know who he is? A description would be okay too." Yuzu asked this time.

"Unfortunately, Homura-san was a very private person. Though we would occasionally host parties for our employees and have them bring family and friends, I've yet to see Homura-san bring anyone but her brother."

"I see. Thank you, Udagawa-san." The blonde thanked Udagawa for his courteous attitude towards the investigation and he reciprocated by thanking the two of them for taking care of the case, "It might come off as shallow, however, I truly hope that you find who did this to her. Despite my first impression of her, Homura-san has done nothing but impress me and I wish a different fate would've befallen her. Please, don't let her down." he pleaded.

A few seconds later and the secretary called in, informing them that the employees are already in the lobby and waiting for Yuzu and Harumi. Excusing themselves after thanking Udagawa Reito once more, the two headed for the main lobby and greeted the two women who were sitting beside the reception desk, "Hello, we're detectives Okogi and Taniguchi. Could you spare us a bit of your time?" the blonde greeted them.

"Wow... when they said detectives wanted to talk to us, we were expecting two burly men but look at you two." The brunette spoke first, complementing the two detectives who were quick to blush at the attention they were receiving.

"Excuse her, she has a fetish for pretty girls. You should've seen what type of hell Mio had to-" the other girl spoke but quickly shut her mouth and apologized, "Sorry... I didn't mean to it's just that- Anyway, I'm Aoi Aya and this is Nagai Izumi. We're friends of Mio. How can we help you?"

"We're sorry for your loss." Harumi extended her condolences before checking her watch for the time, it was already quarter past one and they haven't had anything to yet, "Would you like to accompany us and talk over lunch?" she asked and both of the women and they agreed. Even going so far as to recommend a somewhat secluded restaurant for privacy.

"So, what can you tell us about Homura-san?" Yuzu asked as she took a sip from her tea.

"I'm sure you've already heard of the basics from Udagawa-san but Mio was always kind. She looked out for everyone in our team and we always jokingly called her 'onee-sama' even though she was a little younger than we both are. I don't really have anything bad that I can say about her, she was always smiling even when under pressure. If anything, she was too kind. " Nagai answered them, looking on with sadness in her eyes.

"The only time I ever hear her complain is when she talks about how Makoto-kun has been cold and distant towards her." Aoi added, "I heard that he's in the hospital... just how are we supposed to tell him about what happened to his sister?" the girl continued, now sharing the same look in Nagai's face.

"We'll do our best to find the culprit. It's the least we can do for Mio-san and Makoto-kun." Yuzu lowered her head as she felt a mixture of disgust and contempt well inside her, "There is something more specific that we wanted to ask you. When we spoke to Homura-san, she told us that she had a boyfriend but no one's come forward claiming to be one. Have you ever seen him?" Harumi asked them while stealthily grabbing Yuzu's hand in an attempt to calm the blonde down.

"Yes, we met him once. It was by pure coincidence that we saw Mio out while we were shopping and she was with a very tall man with light brown hair and similarly colored eyes. She introduced him as her boyfriend but asked that we keep it a secret because apparently- uh. What was it?" Nagai looked to Aoi as if asking her friend to supplement the thought, "He's from a rich family and engaged at that time."

"Right! We tried to warn her about him. He just gave us this feeling that he was up to no good, I mean, yeah, he was really handsome and a total hottie but there's just that air about him... I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say... but Mio was steadfast in her feelings for him. She said he wasn't as bad as he looked and that he was very kind to her."

"And we believed her because she was so adamant about it... then about a few months after that she started coming to work with bruises." At this point Aoi decided to step in and throw a piece, "I remember that... I spoke to her about it and asked if it was him. She just smiled, like always, and said he didn't mean to do it but it continued for months until it just eventually stopped."

"Would you happen to have caught his name?" Harumi asked once the two were done speaking, "I think it was... uhm- Miya...miya... Himemiya?" Nagai tried to look for the name but her face told the two detectives that she was unsure. "Is it Amemiya?" Yuzu interjected.

"Yes! That's the one!" Nagai excitedly shouted, "Has he not come forward?

"No, but we'll find him." Yuzu answered with a lot more conviction than need, then continued, "There's something else. Udagawa-san said that Mio was recommended to the company by a man called Udagawa Yasu, would you happen to know who he is?"

"We've met him a couple of times. He's really nice and a total gentleman. I often chided Mio to date him instead of that Amemiya guy but she always laughed it off and said that they were just really good friends. I believe they met during high school and that she had urged him to follow his dreams or something like that." Yuzu looked at Nagai after writing down what the woman had said, then followed up with another question, "Would you happen to know where we can find him?"

"I think he runs a cafe... I don't think I caught the name but she said it's somewhere in XX district near the police station there. Maybe you know it?" Nagai questioned back and Yuzu felt chills in her spine. She knew that the manager of Café au lait had the surname Udagawa but he never looked like someone from an esteemed family, especially one that seemed equally prosperous to the Aiharas.

It was too early to assume anything and she wanted to trust in the man that had become her friend for all these years. 'I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation' she told herself and gave Harumi a knowing look. There was the line of inquiry towards Amemiya as well which was a stronger lead at this point. After finishing their meal and getting all the information they needed, the two bid Aoi and Nagai goodbye and thanked them for their cooperation before heading out.

The doubt in Yuzu's mind kept growing as she couldn't stop thinking about how the manager of a humble cafe wound up getting mentioned in a case like this. If possible, she would like to avoid questioning him but in eventuality, it was bound to happen - even with the amount of evidence piling up against Amemiya.

After walking a few feet away from the restaurant and confirming that they weren't within anyone's earshot, the two decided it was safe to talk and agreed that they should confirm with Matsuri, who was the closest to the manager before they did anything. For Yuzu, there was an equally important issue at hand and one that she hoped never to ask but since Amemiya has been appearing in relation to violent crimes, she didn't have much of a choice. She needed to ask Mei about the man and the past that they shared.

* * *

Notes:

The chapters have been getting really long, I didn't even have enough space for A/Ns on the previous one.

So, just a quick thank you for everyone who's still reading this.

Also, I've been procrastinating on writing updates because I'm so caught up with wanting to do one of the later scenes and knowing that it would be pointless to write it now. So I just laze around and slowly type things out.


	26. Chapter 26: The Tears You Won't Cry

Yuzu sat on the living room sofa while flipping through a magazine she had recently bought. Much like most of the 'literature' that she liked to read, this one promised tips on how to better take care of your skin and make you a hundred times more attractive and much like those that came before it, that was an utter lie.

The blonde shifted on the sofa and laid flat on her stomach, closing the magazine and burying half her face into one of the pillows used to decorate the otherwise plain sectional. She gazed up at the clock and took the time, it was half past 9. Mei had sent her a text just before she got home, informing her that the raven-haired girl was asked to accompany her grandfather at a social gathering.

It wasn't unusual for Mei to be invited to these types of social occasions, however, it was the first time she would be attending one since Yuzu started living in the apartment and the blonde wasn't sure how long these events usually took. There was a matter that she needed to discuss with Mei and having this thrown at her after she went through all the trouble of preparing herself mentally and emotionally for the conversation threw Yuzu off.

She thought of how to ask Mei about Amemiya and what she would do if the raven-haired girl refused to talk to her about it. Normally, Yuzu wouldn't even dream of forcing anything out of Mei but this was a special case and if it warranted that type of aggressive conversation, then she would do it even if it meant earning the hatred of the latter. Those thoughts swirled in her mind as she dozed off, apparently more tired from the day than she initially thought.

Around an hour later, a soft click resounded through the dark apartment and pair of shoes quietly slid in. Mei took off her shoes and slid into a more comfortable pair of slippers before slowly making her way to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Yuzu sleeping on the sofa without so much as a sweater. She turned and continued heading for the bedroom before returning to the living room with a blanket in hand.

Draping it over the blonde, she quietly whispered, "I'm home." and to her surprise, Yuzu answered, "Welcome back." Mei took a closer look at the blonde, it was dark and her eyes haven't fully adjusted yet but she wanted to know if the girl was really awake or talking in her sleep. It was faint but she could see those emerald greens peeking through a curtain of lashes, confirming the blonde was indeed, conscious.

"Did I wake you?" she asked Yuzu who answered with a yawn, "Nah. I was just resting my eyes."

Yuzu lifted herself up and sat on one side of the sofa, then tapped on the seat right beside her. Mei knew she was being asked to sit, truth be told she was a little tired and wanted nothing more than to go and lie down in bed but there was something that piqued her interest so she complied and sat beside Yuzu. Once in place, the blonde shimmied a little closer to Mei and leaned her head on the raven-haired girl's shoulder while wrapping her arm around the other's.

It wasn't unusual behavior, Yuzu was always the type to start touching people, albeit not inappropriately, without their permission. She socialized in a way common to teenagers and kissing, hugging, holding other girl's hands were all things she did without a second thought or meaning. For Mei, it was comfortable but at the same time awkward. She had never allowed another human being to be so affectionately close to her as she had grown to dislike such contacts but with Yuzu... she didn't mind.

"How was the party? Did you eat yet?" Yuzu mumbled. Her voice a little more husky than usual which Mei chucked off to her premature waking as the girl was practically still partly drowsy. "Yes, I had dinner and it was the usual, nothing new," Mei answered with a disinterested tone. She just had to sit through hours of a social etiquette race and small talk along with the usual business related conversations. 'How it was' was very bad, there was more to complain about but she preferred to keep things to herself.

"Sounds boring." Yuzu shot back, a little more awake this time. Her voice sounding more like the usual cheerful tone before sinking back and returning quieter, "Say, Mei... there's something I need to ask you but I don't know if you'll feel like telling me. Do you have time right now?" she asked the raven-haired girl, being sure to glance up at the taller girl while doing so.

Mei looked at the blonde sloth beside her, arms still locked on her own, "Did you sleep here to wait for me just to ask me something?" she asked the girl with a curious look, eyes having adjusted to the darkness of the living room, she could now clearly see Yuzu's face as the latter nodded and spoke, "Yeah... it's kind of important and well... personal."

"Is it in relation to your job?"

"Yes, and as much as I'd like to say that I don't want to pressure you into something uncomfortable... I don't think it's an option right now." Yuzu spoke with a bit of distaste at having to force this conversation on Mei and the latter could feel and hear it in the blonde's words that she took no pleasure in putting the raven-haired girl at such a predicament without an exit.

Still, Mei felt uncomfortable. The skinship and warmth followed by a request made her feel like she was being used, like always. The walls she had erected to protect herself came into play as she pushed the blonde aside, fervently pulling her arm away from the girl before straightening herself and answering, "If it's that important then ask and let's get this over with. I want to sleep."

Yuzu was a little taken aback by the sudden chill that floated with Mei's voice. She couldn't quite place it but something was different, there was no warmth left in the room... but she had to push forward. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she tried to comfort Mei before she dropped the bomb, "Mei, I know about what I said but if you don't feel comfortable at any point then we can stop and continue later. Okay?"

"Just say it. Your concern is unneeded nor wanted." Mei shot back, words still containing familiar venom.

"All right. I need to know about Amemiya and what happened between the two of you, what you know about him. Everything." Mei looked at the blonde with alarm, she knew this conversation would eventually come but she didn't expect it to come all of a sudden. Yuzu took a glance at Mei, having just seen a flash of the other girl's expression before it disappeared back into that hardened, emotionless expression.

Mei composed herself faster than lightning, there must have been a reason why the blonde was suddenly bringing this up now to the point where she was willing to wait all night long for the raven-haired girl to come home, "Why do you want to know about this now?" she asked the Yuzu with one eyebrow raised but her face was otherwise annoyed and looking for a reason.

"Because Homura Mio was found dead and we found out that Amemiya was her boyfriend."

"I see," now it made sense Mei knew why the blonde had such conviction, "Amemiya, as you know, was my previous suitor. We didn't have any particularly close relationship aside from that, hence, I doubt you'll find anything useful."

"Still... there might be something, anything."

Mei looked at the blonde with calculating eyes. Yuzu recognized that look as the one the other girl always had on when she's considering something and the blonde thought that a little push was in order, "Come on, Mei. There must be something. That type of anger he displayed towards you doesn't just come from normal circumstances... so, please?" she pleaded.

Knitting her eyebrows, Mei looked down and sighed. Why was it so difficult to talk about this? Even so, the matter can't be buried back down anymore and she decided to tell Yuzu, "Grandfather thought it would be prudent to have me marry a man with a background in education as such a person would be able to help me lead the academy through experience. The Amemiya's eldest son, Hideki, just happened to be a perfect match so their family worked on convincing my grandfather and at the age of 15, my Grandfather informed me of the engagement."

Mei looked outside the sliding glass panel that peeked through the dark sky beyond it. The turbulent winds and pattering of rain complemented her inner turmoil well and after a few deep breaths, she continued, "At the time, I had already come to the conclusion that I would live as my grandfather wishes- it was my wish as well. Meeting Amemiya for the first time made me think it wouldn't be so bad to marry him. He was kind, gentle and often came to visit but-"

Yuzu looked at Mei who had trailed off and sat in silence. She could tell that the girl was somewhat struggling to narrate the story and Yuzu wanted nothing more than to hold her hand in an attempt to comfort Mei, but the latter pushed her hand away and motioned for her to stop, " I'm fine." she told the blonde.

"It didn't last long. I soon found out that he was seeing a woman and only intended to get my family's fortune and prestige. I didn't particularly care if he had a mistress, there was no love between us and if he was capable of managing the Aihara business, then that on its own would've been fine. After that things got worse, it may have been because of my personality but he felt compelled to try and win me over to secure his position as my fiance."

"When I was 16, during my freshman year in high school, things had escalated to the point where he would call on me during school hours. At the back of the school, in an empty classroom... practically anywhere we could be alone and he would kiss me." Yuzu studied Mei's face, it was as stoic and disinterested as usual but her eyes painted a different picture. Even in the dark, the blonde could see the turbulent emotions in those amethyst eyes, "Without your consent?" she asked quietly and Mei nodded.

"It didn't go much further than that and I didn't particularly tell him 'no' either. I thought that was the natural progression of things, after all, had the engagement worked out I would've had to bear a child with him." The words that left Mei's lips were so hollow that they threatened to swallow her whole, it sounded like she had rehearsed these words in her head over and over again until it sounded convincing and that just broke Yuzu's heart even more.

Guilt crept up Yuzu's back. She thought the life of the Aihara heiress contained nothing more than fancy parties, money and a bright future but hearing this did nothing but crumble determination. The case was important, true, but right now she saw nothing but Mei. It didn't help when she that pained look on Mei's face again and this time, being unable to contain herself, threw her arms around the taller girl and squeezed as tight as she could. The two of them tumbled on the sofa, Yuzu laying on top of the other.

"I'm sorry, Mei. I didn't know." She spoke in between sobs, realizing how painful the other girl's life must have been. Responsibilities, distant relatives and a man who used her to the point of sexual harassment. The dignified, ice cold girl in her embrace was nothing more than a broken child who didn't know how to handle the loneliness and betrayal.

"Yuzu, let go." Mei commanded her with a stern tone but the blonde could hear the crack in it, "No. I won't" she sobbed onto Mei's shoulder.

"Why are you even crying?" She asked the blonde, "I haven't finished telling you everything either." Quickly growing frustrated at the girl's refusal to move, Mei fidgetted in her place while trying to shake Yuzu off.

"Because Mei, you looked like you wanted to cry!" Yuzu was steadfast in her refusal to move, clutching tighter at Mei the more the latter tried to pry her off and eventually, the raven-haired girl gave up and stayed still, allowing the blonde to cry her eyes out. It was the first time that someone had cried for her sake... it felt nice but also terrifying as it caused her to be more aware of her own emotions intensifying.

Trying to brush the growing feelings within her, Mei spoke "Yuzu, I would like to finish telling you the story. Would that be all right?" she asked the blonde who was still keeping her head buried and only weakly nodded in reply.

"I don't know exactly who it was or what their reason was for doing it but someone saw us and reported it to the school. Soon after, the engagement was silently called off and Amemiya was asked to leave the school. I never saw him again after that but rumors die hard and eventually, it got out that he had been in a relationship with a student."

"It didn't take long for things to sour between us and the Amemiyas. The incident brought them great shame and they ended up losing a lot of business partners because of it. Trying to save face, they disowned Amemiya Hideki and started digging up whatever they could find against our family but nothing ever happened and in the end, Hideki was the one who lost everything, including his career."

Yuzu had calmed at this point and listened intently to Mei but kept her head buried to prevent the embarrassment she felt from being noticed. She had once again lost control and did as her heart demanded without thinking it over nor considering Mei's feelings on the matter. 'Stupid Yuzu!' she screamed internally before quietly asking Mei a question, "So then, that time at the cafe... what was that about?"

"Where we first met?" Mei asked the blonde and felt a slight nod, "I had just arrived from London and he somehow found me. He was asking me to talk about the engagement, if it could still be pushed through. Of course, that was impossible. The Amemiya family is in decline and he has been disowned. There was no benefit in marrying him." she answered logically and uncaring.

"So then... if it benefited the Aiharas, would you have married him?" Yuzu's question was out of reflex, she didn't mean for it to spill out of her head and into her mouth but she would be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious. "If that is what Grandfather asks of me then yes, I will," Mei answered without flinching but quickly becoming startled by the blonde's sudden movement.

"You can't do that!" Yuzu looked straight at Mei, shouting a little louder than she intended, "You can't just marry people because it benefits your family and your grandfather asks you to! How can you so openly accept it?!" The blonde was being emotional and Mei couldn't comprehend the idea of marriage for the sake of love, it wasn't a concept learned in the Aihara house.

"What would you know?" Mei nudged Yuzu off, trying to get the girl off of her so she can get up but Yuzu fought and grabbed Mei's arms in retaliation, "I may not know a lot of things but 'that' you definitely shouldn't do." The blonde's eyes burned with persistence, leaving Mei with little choice but to push with even more force to push Yuzu back, succeeding this time.

"Mei!" the blonde raised her voice as if desperate, causing Mei who had already gotten up and started heading towards the bedroom to stop in her tracks, "I will definitely show you that there are things in the world that you can't just have others decide for you!" Yuzu clutched at her chest at the proclamation.

"I'll be looking forward to that," Mei answered briefly before turning to leave the room.

* * *

Notes:

Pretty grueling to write these past few chapters and they will continue for at least a few more chapters. I hope you guys are ready for a bit more serious stuff.

I'm not doing much A/Ns because some of the things I want to discuss could lead to a possible spoiler. So, I'll just leave everything up 'til the end to avoid accidentally giving too much information.

Cheers everyone!


	27. Chapter 27: An Invitation

Mei was busy attending another academy related meeting in place of her grandfather, where she sat dignified at the chairman's spot despite being a substitute. There was a lot of concerns regarding the recent incidents that happened inside the campus and It didn't help that she was both her grandfather's substitute and also the victim in both events.

A lot of ambiguous insults towards the current state of the academy was coming into play and even though the board members knew better than to directly insult her, she was also too smart to not see the meaning behind those carefully crafted criticism blaming her for the lack of security at Aihara Academy. All that was left was for these old men to start blaming her for being targeted as well and they would've proven just how pathetic they all were.

There was a reason that everyone was out to get her, Mei knew this well, her grandfather is an old man now and while he was once feared enough to keep the other business partners at bay, he had also grown weak and it would only be a matter of time before he's either forced to retire or succumb to his failing health. Once that happens, Sho would inherit the entirety of the Aihara fortune while continuing his work abroad, meanwhile Mei would succeed her grandfather into officially leading all of the businesses they owned in Japan.

Naturally, there would be greedy pigs trying to weasel their way into more money and power by tearing down the weakest link in hopes of taking that spot. Mei's jaw tensed at the thought that these very same people who used to praise her for her hard work, dedication, and commitment to the Aihara vision were the very same people who now considered her 'weak.'

She didn't know when it started, years ago she would gladly attend meetings and listen to everyone's suggestions and criticism but now it all just seemed so trivial. There was less talk about the future of the Academy and how to improve it, rather the talk of inheritance and her grandfather's failing health alongside with any holes and cracks they could find on the youngest Aihara's performance had become the main topic on each and every meeting, growing in frequency with each passing season.

"As I said, we should increase the security of the school. If anything like this happened again, we would be a laughing stock!" One man shouted from the other end of the room, while another rebuked his claim, citing the lack of funds for added security as it had not been included in this year's budget. Mei considered both sides of the argument. It's true that they haven't planned for it but it shouldn't be too difficult to make adjustments in other areas to accommodate it.

"I believe that student safety is our foremost priority. I'll have to ask for grandfather's approval but I don't see how it would be too difficult to get the budget committee to move some funds from extracurricular activities to security." She offered her opinion on the matter and quickly noticed a few sneers, one even saying 'She can't even decide without taking it up with the chairman.' causing the raven-haired girl to scoff inside.

How she wished this could all just end already so she can leave... 'wait, leave and then what?' she thought to herself. She hated the meetings, she found it unproductive and preferred meeting with the people who actually ran the school as she found that to be of more help than updating the board members who didn't even have a single idea on how to run the school but she had never felt this excited about ending a meeting.

'Ah,' realization hit her. It was the blonde. Ever since that Okogi Yuzu unwillingly barged into her life, Mei had been just a little less 'automatic' and a little more bothered by everything. Even now, instead of listening to the chaos that's going on around the table, she had let her mind wander off to Yuzu's words the other night.

Meanwhile, at the library, Harumi and Yuzu were discussing the very same conversation. Yuzu had been writhing in embarrassment for once again opening her mouth prematurely and talking big without any substance behind it. She meant every single word she said to Mei... but she didn't even know where to start. It's like looking for the lost city of Atlantis without even knowing what Atlantis was.

"So basically, you ran your mouth off without thinking again and ended up saying too much to Prez.?" Harumi mercilessly criticized her dejected friend who was shamefully hiding behind a textbook. Yuzu had just informed her best friend and partner of the information she had collected from Mei and for some reason, Harumi was more interested in the personal stuff instead of the case.

"Shh! Don't say it so loudly. It's making me feel even more embarrassed than I already am." The blonde placed the book down and sighed inwardly. Just how exactly was she going to show the raven-haired girl what it meant to 'live.' What was 'living' in the first place? Technically Mei is living her life even if it's in line with someone else's wishes... no, what Mei was doing didn't count as living, it was simply existing- a life without happiness.

"Then isn't it simple?" Harumi spoke apathetically while looking at Yuzu's case diary and reading bits of information here and there, "Get her to fall in love? That was the point you wanted to get across, right?" the plum-haired girl added casually.

"You say that but you've known her for much longer than I do... have you ever seen her in love? Or even show interest in another person for that matter." Yuzu smacked her head on the table and rolled it from side to side, venting her frustrations and making Harumi laugh in the process, "I might have." Harumi joked

"EEEEEEH? So she IS capable of it. What's her type?!" the blonde was suddenly excited, almost jumping up at the revelation and the fact that now she had something to go on but Harumi quickly shot her down by saying, "It's a secret, Yuzu-cchi. You can't go asking for people's types like that." teased her friend.

"Ugh. You're just playing with me, aren't you?" Yuzu pouted at Harumi who refused to give her a satisfactory answer, so the blonde was left with no choice but to leave it at that and speak of a more serious matter, "In any case. We might have a motive for why Amemiya is after Mei. He wanted the engagement to be re-established but she turned him down and with the type of behavior he displayed, I wouldn't say it's beneath him to try and get her back in any way he could. How horrible can you be to willingly use your girlfriend's brother just to get revenge." Yuzu grit her teeth at the thought.

"Scum, obviously... and speaking of scum, Matsuri said to call her when we have the time. She already has the toxicology report from Hibiki-san and the library is pretty much empty anyway, so why not?"

"Jeez, Harumin. You sure do hate Matsuri." Yuzu took out her phone and began typing the pink-haired girl's name while Harumi explained her view of Matsuri, "It's not that I hate her. She's just really childish and it feels like she's always scheming something. Suspicious, in other words." the plum-haired girl waved her hand in the air like she was trying to disperse the name 'Matsuri,' treating it like a spell that would cause the devil herself to appear.

It was the truth, Harumi really didn't hate Matsuri, she was just on guard around the younger girl because it felt like Matsuri would pull some unforgivable prank at any moment. It was worse at one point when they were newly acquainted, the pink-haired troublemaker looked nothing more than a bad influence for the ever pure Yuzu and Harumi was determined to keep Yuzu 'safe.' Later on, it became apparent that Matsuri only had Yuzu's best intention in mind, even though her methods would be what you would call questionable.

"You know how she is. She means well, she just doesn't know how to express herself... I just realized, she's kind of like Mei, isn't she? They're both horrible at opening up." Yuzu smiled at the realization but Harumi had a straight face on, thinking about how the blonde would've come to the conclusion that the cold, responsible and elegant Aihara Mei was anything like the devilishly cruel Mizusawa Matsuri.

"Hello, Matsuri." Yuzu greeted the girl over the phone, "Yuzu-chan, took you long enough to call." Matsuri was happy just to hear Yuzu's voice. In the past, the younger girl had confessed her feelings for Yuzu but the blonde was quick to dismiss it as childish affection stemming from Matsuri's constant need to cling to her. There was also the fact that the pink-haired girl was overly protective of her and wanted to monopolize her 'older sister.'

"Sorry, I was talking with Harumi about something I heard from Mei and she just told me that you had an update so..." Yuzu sheepishly apologized but Matsuri was quick to anger, "Haaaah. Mei-san again. Does anything other than Mei-san exist in your head these days?" It sounded like an insult and it probably was if you asked Harumi but to Yuzu, it sounded more apprehensive like she's being accused of perversely thinking of the raven-haired girl.

"Hey! It's not like that! It was case related!" she quickly defended herself and Matsuri shrugged it off pretty quickly, though her tone had turned into one of annoyance compared to the previous cheerfulness she spoke with, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with so I can go do something else, like delete Nene's entire library of HaruYuzu."

"Hey! Stop taking your anger out on other people!" Harumi scolded the pink-haired girl who quickly retaliated, "Shut up, boobs!"

"Come on, guys. Stop it. We're all adults here..." The blonde tried to prevent any further arguments but ended up being mercilessly berated by both her best friend and childhood friend in the process, essentially become the two's punching bag until they've both vented their frustrations and Yuzu was nothing more than a pile of sobbing dust from all the burning she received.

"In any case, I got Homura Mio's toxicology report. They found a deliriant drug in her system and by the dose, it looks like she'd been constantly drugged before she died."

"Drugged? but that makes no sense. Why would the suspect drug her if he meant to kill her anyway? There's no point in doing that." Yuzu questioned the findings, she saw no possible motivation for drugging a woman who would soon be killed anyway, so why?

"Maybe he didn't intend to kill her? Maybe he wanted to break her or scare her... pass her off as insane? Think about it, if Amemiya is our primary suspect in Homura Mio's case, then wouldn't he avoid killing her at all costs? He would eventually be traced as her boyfriend and her brother tried to kidnap Prez., who was previously engaged to him. That would highlight him as the mastermind in a matter of seconds."

"But at the same time, wouldn't that just be too convenient?" Yuzu interjected. She agreed with Harumi's theory but this sounded too easy. Though if she had to admit, the attempt on Mei and the death of Mio were sloppy. If more evidence was found in relation to Amemiya, then she wouldn't really question his guilt any further.

"Wow. I've never heard the two of you talk this seriously unless it's about the latest fashion or shopping." Matsuri may not say it directly but she was impressed with how good Harumi and Yuzu were at their job. She never imagined they could ever take anything seriously.

Harumi popped a vein at Matsuri's comment and apprehended the girl once more, "Stop being a brat and tell us if there anything else on Homura-san."

"Jeez, why are you treating me like a gopher. This isn't even my job, I should just hang up."

"Don't you dare!"

"If you beg, then I'll tell you."

Yuzu sat silently as the two started bickering. She knew better this time and decided not to intervene, choosing to let the two sort out their issues by themselves lest she wanted to be the punching bag again. It didn't take long and Matsuri finally conceded, "They found foreign blood in one of Homura Mio's nails. I'm currently on the way to records. Hibiki-san asked me to bring some files and samples from the Doll Maker case to compare."

"Why? It's not like we found any proof that it's related." Harumi scratched her head as she thought about what was going through Hibiki's mind for making that request, "Well, beats me. I didn't have anything to do so everyone is treating me like their maid. I'm sure my old man told them to-" Harumi and Yuzu heard a loud thud followed by the slamming of a door and a man shouting 'Watch where you're going!'

"Matsuri, are you okay?" The blonde asked with concern but no answer was given and she could only hear Matsuri shouting on the other end, 'Watch where I'm going? You're the one who bumped into me!'

'Tsk. Just because you're the chief's daughter, you think you can talk to your superiors like that?! Don't get cocky!'

Silence followed as footsteps could be heard growing fainter by the second and finally, Matsuri spoke on the phone again, "Sorry about that Yuzu-chan." a slight rustle could be heard and Yuzu assumed that Matsuri was picking up pieces of paper from the floor, "What happened" she questioned the pink-haired girl.

"That damned Kurosawa bumped into me while I was entering the evidence room. A-hole. I'll get him for that. Anyway, I'll let you know if Hibiki-senpai finds anything else. I'm hanging up now."

"Okay, Matsuri. I'll treat you to parfait some other time."

"I'll be looking forward to it, Yuzu-chan."

After ending the call, Matsuri entered the evidence locker and took out the files that Hibiki asked her to get. Her mind wandered off to Yuzu as she silently cursed at Mei for monopolizing her Yuzu-chan. 'That damned bitch, she's probably just acting all helpless so she can get Yuzu-chan to pity her and stay with her.' Matsuri had a clear disdain for the raven-haired girl and she would stop at nothing to reveal Mei for 'what she really was' according to Matsuri's intuition.

Back at the library, Harumi and Yuzu resumed chatting cheerfully about some mundane things. Talking about serious stuff for too long caused the both of them to feel tired and drained. It was a good thing that they changed the topic too because not long after, Kei approached them with his usual calm demeanor and blinding smile, "Yuzu, Harumi, what are you guys doing in the library? I never thought I'd ever see you two slackers here." He gave them a mischievous grin.

"Well, we didn't have anywhere else to hang out since we're both lazy too leave the campus and it's too cold to sit outside." Harumi was always the better liar, able to quickly weasel her way out of awkward situations, "What are you doing here, Kei-san? Don't tell me you're looking for Yuzu-cchi?" Yuzu choked on her own saliva at Harumi's audacity.

"As a matter of fact, I was. Yuzu, there's a grand party being held by my father tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?" He questioned the blonde with a bit of pleading in his eyes.

"I don't think I'll fit in with all the rich people there, Kei." Yuzu knew better than to try and mingle with those of the upper-class. Their manners, etiquette and general way of socialization didn't go well with her and she always felt like an uncultured moron when around such people... like Mei's grandfather.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. Harumi will be there too and so will Mei." He tried to get the blonde to warm up to the idea, leaving Harumi a little confused, "I am?" she asked and Kei laughed, "Yes, the invitation has already been sent to your house. Your family IS one of the Aihara business partners after all." he answered her before quickly turning to Yuzu, "So, what do you say?"

* * *

Notes:

Not enough space for A/N again.

To touch lightly on the subject, I believe that Mei is, as she admits, a coward who is incapable of making her own choices in fear of failure and disappointment (last part of the sentence is my assumption). A lot of people hated the way Mei was in the manga but I actually liked her portrayal, which is why I chose to keep her personality mostly intact.


	28. Chapter 28: Secrets in Plain Sight

'How did I get myself into this mess?' Yuzu questioned her decision to accept Kei's invitation. He had given her specific instructions on the dress code and which dress types could be used for the occasion. Having never gone to such a formal party before, Yuzu was stuck with having to pick out a dress the morning of the party and with Mei having been whisked away to the Aihara mansion in preparation for the event, the blonde had to do it all by herself.

She considered a few designs, some of which were too 'sexy' for her to pull off. It wasn't that Yuzu was lacking in feminine charms, she just had a petite body which didn't really go well with all these more mature designs... leaving her with little choice but to limit her options to the slightly girl-ish ones. One particular dress spoke to her, it was a strapless white high-low dress with blush colored jacquard lilies printed all over it. She particularly loved the belt made of white beads that perfectly accentuated the gown.

Having made her choice and spending way more than she initially intended, Yuzu went ahead and chose silver colored pumps to match the pearls on the dress's belt. She was quite happy with the choice of clothing, all things considered, and it wouldn't be much of a problem to do her make-up and fix her hair. She WAS an expert in that field after all.

Glancing at the clock, the blonde decided to get to work. It was already 4:15 PM and Kei mentioned he would be picking her up at exactly 6 PM since the party starts at around 7 and they wouldn't want to be late at a party where the Aihara patriarch would most likely attend. Knowing that the old man would be there did nothing to help Yuzu but it was too late to back out now.

The doorbell rang right on cue and Yuzu made sure to check herself out in the mirror, making sure that she was completely ready before answering the door. When she was sure that she looked as perfect as she could get, the blonde headed out and opened the door, revealing a stunning young man in a jet black suit and tie. His hair slicked back in an uncharacteristic display of confidence and tidiness, showing off his handsome face that was beautiful enough to make any woman instantly melt at the sight.

"Hello, Yuzu. Ready to go?" his smile was both warm and welcoming, almost causing Yuzu to blush, "Yes, and you look absolutely stunning!" she praised him. Yuzu already knew that Kei was handsome but not THIS handsome as she would've fallen head over heels for him with the way he looked now, "Thank you. You're looking amazing yourself."

A quick escort down the apartment and towards Kei's luxurious black sports car, which didn't take Yuzu long to recognize as a Lamborghini, and they were on their way to the venue. Having noticed that the blonde was fidgetting in her seat, Kei decided to offer his assurance, "You'll be fine, Yuzu. Don't worry too much. It's just a party." He smiled at her.

"I'm liable to mess up though," Yuzu nervously bit her lip, knowing her tendency to act first-think later and also her inexplicable ability to always react to stressful situations in a less than graceful way, "Sorry in advance if I make you look bad." she made sure to aptly apologize to Kei in the event that she ruined his reputation but the young man quickly dismissed her worries, "With how you look? I'd be the envy of the party even if you stuffed your face full of food." he laughed and it made Yuzu feel a little better.

"Thanks, Kei," she quietly showed her appreciation towards the young man's consideration, "That's the venue over there. You ready?" Yuzu looked at the building. It was a high-class hotel that her mom had designed and she felt a little proud of how beautiful the entire place was. A garden sat out front with a massive fountain built right at the center and a curved road that went around it and towards the hotel entrance.

Inside the hotel was like a dream, the main lobby was straight out of those European palaces with statues and paintings everywhere, emphasizing the Victorian design further. Kei offered his arm to Yuzu as they stood in front of the ballroom door, waiting to be ushered in and when the doors finally opened, Yuzu's entire world stopped. The whole floor was covered with people who were obviously well-off and she immediately felt out of place but none caught her attention more than the raven-haired girl who was standing right beside Sho a few meters away.

Mei was wearing a more elegant and mature off-shoulder black dress with a grey floral design at the front, extending only until the waistline and a slit which was just high enough to show off a bit of skin but still low enough to keep her classy. Her hair was done up in a messy chignon which was very unusual for Mei who always kept herself neat and proper but somehow it just worked, leaving her neck exposed and showing off the necklace she was wearing. Even at that distance, Yuzu couldn't help but gawk.

While the blonde kept her eyes glued on the raven-haired girl as her heart rate elevated. The rest of the guests returned the favor, making sure to take in the sight of what looked like the perfect couple walking down the stairs. Kei's stark darkness contrasted and complimented Yuzu's light dress and blonde hair, making her stand out even more and as Kei predicted, all the men whispered among each other with interest.

"Ah, they're here." Sho took notice of his son and his blonde companion, calling Mei's attention to them at the same time. The raven-haired girl looked squarely at the walking personification of the sun and much like the latter, she couldn't keep her eyes off of the blonde, their eyes to meeting for a brief second. Mei felt encroaching heat spread across her face which didn't go unnoticed by Sho.

"Are you okay, Mei? You look a little flustered." Her father asked with concern and Mei knew better than to let her emotions show. Deciding to quickly tear her eyes off the blonde, she recomposed herself and put her father's worry to rest as her brother and housemate approached them, "Hello everyone, how's your evening?" Kei extended a greeting to the Aiharas and a few business associates whom they were talking to.

A few small talks were exchanged and one of the men asked Kei to introduce Yuzu, which the young man gladly obliged, "This is my date, Okogi Yuzu." he proudly introduced her and she bowed with respect before re-affirming his introduction. Just a few inches away, Mei's face soured after hearing the word 'date.' There it was again, that frustrating feeling of wanting to grab the blonde and take her somewhere where no one would see her.

Noticing the discomfort that had settled onto Mei's face, Yuzu decided to approach the raven-haired girl and ask her how she was but Mei made sure to stay the hell away from Yuzu, knowing that she was liable to do something inappropriate if she allowed herself too close to the blonde especially in a formal setting like this where she can't afford to make a single mistake. And so, the rest of the evening composed of Mei avoiding Yuzu while Yuzu either tried to approach her, stole glances at her or complained to Harumi about her.

"She's totally avoiding me, Harumin." Yuzu whined to her friend after Kei had wandered off somewhere to greet a few business associates of the Yukimura family. Harumi herself was abandoned by Mitsuko who did the same and so the two friends were in the same boat, "Maybe you're overthinking and she's just busy doing rich people stuff like prince charming over there and onee." Harumi offered.

"No way, she looked at me once when I arrived and then made sure to never ever look at me even when I talk to her. She even excuses herself as soon as she sees me approaching. What's the deal? This is frustrating me a bit." Yuzu frowned and bit her cheek. She only wanted to spend a bit of time with Mei but the raven-haired girl was expertly avoiding her.

"Oh, hello Okogi-san, Taniguchi-san." A familiar elegant voice called out to them. It was Udagawa Reito, the manager at Homura Mio's office. A few conversations were exchanged and the two found out that he was representing the Udagawa family because the actual heir was out of the country and the second son refused to go, leaving no one else to fill the spot.

It didn't take long for men to start approaching Yuzu after seeing how open and friendly she was. Every man that came offered her a drink which she didn't have the heart to refuse and sadly, she also didn't have the alcohol tolerance for half of the amount of wine she had accepted from the guests who flocked her and while Harumi was too busy swatting away the rest of the wine glasses, there was just too much attention on them and Yuzu didn't know how what to do.

"Excuse me, I need to speak with my friend for a bit." Mei stepped in, seeing trouble brewing from a distance had caused her to abandon the thought of avoiding the blonde for the rest of the night, unwillingly coming to the rescue. The men backed off when Mei announced her presence, the Aihara heiress was very commanding in her tone and with that, she was able to separate Yuzu from the crowd. Successfully leading the girl into a secluded balcony.

"What were you thinking? Don't accept drinks if you know you can't handle it." She scolded the blonde whose face burned with toxicity as she fumbled about and struggled to reach the outdoor sofa that sat near one corner of the balcony. "Sorry, Mei. I just didn't know how to refuse," she apologized to the raven-haired girl who only sighed in annoyance.

"Mei, come're." Yuzu motioned for the other girl to sit beside her but Mei knew better than to blindly accept the invitation, "If I sit beside you, will you promise to behave yourself and not hug me like the last time?" she questioned apprehensively, speaking of the matter the other night where Yuzu had refused to let her go for the duration of their talk.

"Yes, yes. Just come're." The blonde was clearly inebriated and Mei doubted it would be a good idea to sit beside her though at the same time it would be a larger issue if the girl would refuse to behave herself and returned to the party in her current state. Knowing she didn't have much of a choice, Mei took a seat right beside Yuzu and the blonde immediately leaned her head against the taller girl's shoulder.

"Mei, why were you avoiding me all night?" The blonde asked with honesty.

"I wasn't." Mei uncomfortably shook her shoulder, trying to get the blonde off.

"Yes, you were. Don't lie."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you're lying."

"And what reason would I have to lie to you?" Mei sounded increasingly irritated but Yuzu was too drunk to care about the consequences.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you."

"Stop this, Yuzu. You've had too much to drink. I'll call Kei and have him take you home." Mei slowly pushed Yuzu away, being careful not to accidentally push too hard and send the dizzied girl tumbling down but the blonde caught her arm just as she was about to leave, "Yuzu, let go." she spoke with a stern voice.

"No."

"What's wrong with you today?" Mei was slowly being pushed towards anger as Yuzu's actions became more and more erratic and childish.

"Mei...?"

"What?!"

"I think... I like you."

Mei jerked her hand from Yuzu's grip after hearing those words, her eyes showed genuine fear and concern over the blonde's words and she quickly turned, leaving the blonde without so much as an answer or reaction. Her mind was in such disarray that on her way back inside the ballroom, she didn't even notice a person standing in front of the door, accidentally bumping into him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized before looking at who she bumped into, it was Kei with a very surprised look on his face, "Are you okay Mei? You look a little unwell and you just bumped into me. That's very unlike you." he asked her.

"I'm fine, but how could you leave Yuzu alone? She's completely intoxicated because she kept naively accepting every drink she was offered."

"But I just left her for 40 minutes... how is that even possible? My bad. I should've been more careful."

"Yes, you should have. Now take her back to the apartment before grandfather arrives and this becomes an issue." Mei stormed off as fast as she could without looking back at Yuzu who was still sitting solemnly without a care in the world.

A couple of kilometers away, Matsuri was working a late shift trying to get Homura Mio's recovered mobile to work again after being soaked in the river. Normally, these phones were a bit sturdier and can survive getting dunked but this one seemed damaged enough to not even power on even after being dried and cared for. Matsuri decided that her last option was to try and retrieve the files from the memory chips inside the phone which meant it was going to be a long night.

Taking the time, she got up and went for a little break. Coffee had become her best friend after joining the police force, her love and expertise in technology meant that she often pulled these late nighters when really big cases came into play and nothing got her more excited than discovering a crucial piece of the puzzle hidden inside something only she could crack.

Having freshly brewed a cup of coffee, Matsuri hummed on her way back and was quickly alarmed by the sound of footsteps coming from the corner. Being careful not to spill the contents of her hot mug, she ran as fast as she could and shouted at the intruder who was just about to turn the next corner, "Stop right there!" but the man didn't pay any attention to her and so she ran back to her office and called the front desk to inform them that there was an intruder in the building.

Once the call had been made, she surveyed the room, checking on all the important documents and evidence that she had laying around, making sure that none of them was missing. At the corner of her eye, she spotted a brown envelope sitting right on top of her desk and she was sure that it wasn't there before.

She made sure to exercise caution before opening the package and inside the envelope, she found a tape which was very unusual for this day and age, so she popped the side open, making sure that it was indeed a regular VHS tape and not made to look like one. Once she confirmed the authenticity of it, all that was left was to dust off the old VHS player and view the contents.

Matsuri played the tape, carefully watching everything on the screen and when it was over, cold sweat started dripping down her face. Her hands shook as she tried to type out Yuzu's number on her phone and waited for the line to be picked up but it automatically went into voice mail. Having no other choice, she called Harumi and the girl quickly answered, "Matsuri? What's up? Did Hibiki find something else?" the plum-haired girl asked.

"No, this is about something else. Where's Yuzu-chan? She's not picking up." Her voice was slightly off and it alerted Harumi that something wasn't right about Matsuri but she answered the question without prying, "Kei-san took her back to Prez.'s apartment. She got a bit drunk so I guess she must already be asleep by now."

"Can you give me the address?"

"Yes, it's apartment 813 xx building at xx district. The big white with a convenience store in front of it. What's this about?"

"Okay, got it. I'll tell you later. Meet me there in 30 mins or so."

Matsuri ended the call before Harumi could protest and quickly made a copy of the tape so she could take it with her. On the screen, she burned into her eyes the image of a blonde man who lay lifeless on a rooftop, "Kyou-ojisan." she muttered after having recognized the man from photos that the Okogi family kept at their house.

After the copy was made, Matsuri stuffed the USB into her pocket and hid the original tape inside the office, then grabbed her coat and bolted out of the door.

Inside the police station, Kurosawa peeked through the blinds, eyeing the pink-haired girl that had run out of the building as he spoke on the phone.

* * *

Notes:

Let's get dem plot balls rolling now.

Yes, this is a very slow burn fanfic. Sorry. D:


	29. Chapter 29: A Secret of Nineteen Years

The faint scent of wine and perfume mixed in the air as Yuzu laid comfortably on the sofa. Her face still burnt with the familiar warmth of intoxication despite having sobered up quite significantly. That isn't to say she wasn't dizzied and wobbly but at least her brain function had somewhat returned to normal and she could finally contemplate on her actions and the words she said to Mei just a few hours ago.

"Ugh! Why did I say that? It definitely sounded like a confession..." she spoke loudly without worry. Mei was still out and in the darkness of the apartment, she could vent her frustration and embarrassment without concern. A loud sigh resounded through the empty halls, she had done it this time. It wouldn't be far off the mark to think that the raven-haired girl would kick her out after tonight's fiasco. Mei might've taken advances towards her a few times but flirtatiousness and affection were completely different things.

'Wait...' she thought to herself, stopping her brain from overloading, 'Did I even mean it? I know I like her but did I mean that LIKED her?' Another sigh escaped her lips. There was no point in agonizing over this as Mei's reaction was quite clear, the look on her face as she took her hand away from the blonde was all the answer that the latter needed. Even someone like Yuzu, who's incapable of reading another person's emotions, knew that look didn't mean anything good.

Worst case scenario, Mei asks her to leave the apartment. Best case? Mei would pretend like it never happened. Knowing the girl, there was a good chance she would react in line with the second option but Yuzu didn't know if this was something 'good,' as her brain agreed it was, but in some odd twist of fateher heart pained at the thought. There was also the matter with Kei but in regards to feelings... she never thought it would be so hard to understand one's own emotions.

There was definitely an attraction towards the male twin, she wouldn't deny that. He's handsome, charming and all around decent. He was funny, entertaining and yet shared a few choice qualities with his sibling but there was just something about Mei that Yuzu felt was always tugging at her like an opposing pole of a magnet. But her feelings towards the two of them... wasn't it weird? Society would never forgive her if she chose the raven-haired girl. Mei probably didn't even want her affection and yet- 'ding, ding, ding,' her thoughts were disrupted by the impatient chime of the doorbell.

"Ugh. Who comes this late in the evening?" the blonde complained before dragging her inebriated self towards the door and checking the screen for the identity of the unwanted late night guest, "Matsuri?" she saw the pink-haired girl standing outside covered in sweat- a complete mess. The girl looked like she had just participated in the longest marathon of her life, "Yuzu-chan? Are you there?" the pink-haired girl asked in between breathing, prompting the blonde to open the door and greet her in person.

"Matsuri, did something happen? You look awful." Yuzu ushered the younger girl in, making sure to offer her a glass of water and a seat before heading off to get a towel and a spare set of clothing that the drenched girl could change into. When she returned to the living room, Yuzu noticed that Matsuri sat still and didn't bother to take a single sip of water, "Hey... what happened?" the blonde asked with concern, her voice a little softer this time.

The pink-haired girl looked straight at Yuzu, her cold blue eyes looking mournful and distant while her hand played with something in the pocket of her jacket. "Yuzu-chan... there's something I need to show you but can we wait for Taniguchi-senpai before I do?" she asked glumly at Yuzu who, despite her growing concern for the younger girl, agreed to the request.

A few minutes passed by and Yuzu couldn't help but take glances at Matsuri who was still playing with whatever was in her pocket. The girl didn't look around, she wasn't her usual playful self, instead, she kept her eyes on the luxurious wool carpet that stretched on top of the wooden floor beside the sofa. Her mind was somewhere else and the blonde knew that something big must've happened if even the unshakable Matsuri was acting this way.

Soon after, another chime came and the pink-haired girl finally stopped her lifeless stare towards the ground, quickly turning around to see if it was Harumi that arrived. Not being one to disappoint, Harumi appeared at the entrance, still rocking her party gown despite being a bit of a mess like Matsuri had been when she first arrived, however, unlike the pink-haired girl, Harumi was a lot more composed if not annoyed.

"Hey, you two. What's going on here?" Yuzu asked the two girls who sat beside each other on the sofa.

"Don't ask me." Harumi shrugged her shoulder before continuing, "This girl asked me to come here without telling me why, so I'm the same boat as you."

"Yuzu-chan." Harumi and Yuzu looked at the girl, her eyes firmly planted on the blonde's own emeralds. The look on Matsuri's face immediately gave them the message that she was serious and this was not a prank or a joke.

"Matsuri?" Yuzu's concern grew with each passing moment and the pink-haired girl didn't particularly like dragging this out any longer. Matsuri inhaled sharply then took out a flash drive from her pocket and dangled it in front of Yuzu, "Yuzu-chan, this came into my possession just an hour ago. Inside this is something that concerns you and maybe it will even break you but you might also find answers... will you take it?" It wasn't a challenge, there was a hint of worry in those words as if the pink-haired girl was torn between revealing the contents of the flash drive or burying it.

Harumi sat quietly, waiting for Yuzu to answer. She had a gnawing feeling that this wasn't going to end well and yet she knew she didn't have the right to decide for Yuzu. Whatever it was that Matsuri was offering must've been something the girl judged as extremely important and that was what Harumi chose to believe. Choosing to let the events unfold without lifting a finger as Yuzu's hands reached out towards the flash drive and plugged it into the TV.

"Are you sure about this, Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi questioned making sure not too sound too negative but also not encouraging the blonde in any way.

"What's the worst, right?" Yuzu smiled at her before hitting the play button on the remote, causing the screen to darken as it started showing the contents of the flash drive. It started simple enough, there was a man with black hair wearing a longsleeved blue shirt standing on one corner of a rooftop and smoking a cigarette while talking on his phone. Yuzu looked at Matsuri, her eyes told the girl of her confusion but Matsuri just encouraged her to keep watching.

Around 8 minutes into the clip, something unexpected happened, a man with short blonde hair appeared from the lower left-hand corner of the screen and it looked like he was trying to arrest the raven-haired man. The clip was old and it showed but Yuzu couldn't believe what she was seeing, there was no doubt that the blonde man was her father and judging by the date stamped on the video, this was the day he died.

Her father pulled out a gun a little faster than the raven-haired man, successfully getting the latter to drop his weapon and slowly turn around with his hands behind his head. It was going well but Yuzu braced herself for the inevitable, she wanted to look away and make it stop though she knew that watching this might allow her a better insight on the death of her father, so with a brave front, she continued.

The raven-haired man was facing the wall and Yuzu's father slowly approached him from behind with his gun still cocked and ready to shoot. Once he was close enough he prepared to cuff the suspect, lowering his gun in the process and in a split second, the raven-haired man turned around, grabbed the blonde man and threw him on the floor. A single punch was landed on Okogi Kyou's face before the raven-haired man took his gun and stood back up.

Tears streamed down Yuzu's face as she watched her father slowly move away from the now towering raven-haired man as the latter approached him with the gun squarely pointed on her father's head, then... bang, bang! two shots fired from the gun, both hitting the blonde man in the head, instantly killing him. Yuzu cried, she never cried so hard in her life and that was saying a lot because she often cried. Tears kept pouring from her eyes. All this time she thought he had died while fighting but seeing how he was mercilessly executed without even being given the chance to fight back made Yuzu feel nothing but utter hatred towards the man who had pulled the trigger on her father, ending his life.

"Do you know who he is?" she asked in between sobs, "No... but there's more." Matsuri answered, pained by the number of tears that the blonde was shedding but leaving the comforting to Harumi who had already sat beside Yuzu, arms wrapped around in a secure hug as if she was trying to protect the blonde from all the bad in the world.

Yuzu's eyes stung and her vision blurred but she kept on watching. Her father's lifeless body lay on the cold hard ground as the raven-haired man smoked a cigarette right beside him. A few minutes pass and another raven-haired man wearing a black suit appeared on the rooftop, his face hidden from the camera's view but he was obviously acquainted with the killer, quickly approaching the suspect before throwing a punch at him.

The two hold a conversation and finally, the man in the black suit fell on his knees, throwing punches on the concrete as if he wanted to destroy it. Pulling on his hair in frustration, the man in the suit got up and started arguing with the killer once more. When everything was said and done, the killer left the scene while the other man stayed a little longer, apparently checking to see if any personal items were left behind before finally turning to leave.

At that moment, Yuzu immediately recognized him. He was much younger in the video but there was no mistaking that face which she had recently gotten acquainted with- it was Aihara Sho, he was there, present during her father's murder and knew who the perpetrator was but he never called to report the crime nor come forward as a witness once investigations were launched. She felt bitterness in her heart like she was betrayed by the man she had now come to respect.

"Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi asked, worry flooding her voice at the sight of disbelief that had plastered itself on the blonde's face, "Do you know who he is?" Matsuri pointed at the man who was leaving the rooftop. "Yes... that's Aihara Sho, Mei's dad," she answered with clear disdain in her tone.

A soft click sounded from the entrance and Mei entered the apartment with Sho standing right behind her. A few footsteps shuffled from the living room, alerting the Aiharas that there were other people in the apartment aside from Yuzu and while Mei wanted to immediately head for her bedroom and change into something more comfortable, it would be rude not to greet their guests... even if it was the pink-haired girl.

"Good evening, Taniguchi-san, Mizusawa-san." Mei gave a slight bow to greet the two before giving her attention to the blonde who was suspiciously wiping her face, tipping the raven-haired girl that she had been crying and an instant pang of guilt hit Mei. Her immediate assumption was that she had hurt Yuzu's feelings with the way she acted earlier when the blonde confessed.

However, this wasn't the time to about it, definitely not in front of so many people and so Mei made a mental note to discuss it with Yuzu once conditions were more favorable. Ripping her gaze off of the blonde, she noticed that Matsuri had been looking at her with utter hatred and she decides that there wasn't much she could do about the situation. Matsuri clung to Yuzu like a koala and seeing the blonde's state must've been a trigger for the girl's hatred to start pouring out.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm a little tired and will be heading off to rest now." Taking a quick glance at the clock, she decided to warn the blonde regarding the time as it was already past 12 AM and on a school day, "Yuzu, don't stay up too late."

"Actually, Prez. Can you get changed and stay over at chairman's place for tonight?" Harumi interjected to Mei's confusion. There was no way Yuzu would've asked Harumi to say that if it was just relating to the incident at the party, so what was really going on here? "May I ask why?" she questioned the plum-haired girl but Matsuri quickly bit back, "Just do as she says."

"Matsuri!" Harumi scolded the pink-haired girl, "It's police related, Prez. we'll tell you some other time."

"And father?"

"We actually need to speak with him about something." Mei looked at the blonde who was avoiding her eyes, there was definitely something unsettling about the situation but she had no context to place the pieces together and with the way things were going she wasn't going to get any answers from anyone. The most easily intimidated, Yuzu, was doing really well in ignoring and avoiding her at the moment which in turn made the raven-haired girl feel a little frustrated.

"Now what did I do that would make you girls want to talk to me?" Sho jokingly commented to Matsuri's frustration.

Mei sighed inwardly and conceded, thinking an explanation would be offered the next day and if not, she could always pressure the blonde to cough it up, "I understand." she finally answered before heading to the bedroom and preparing to head back out again. After she was ready, Mei joined Harumi by the door and prepared to head out but not without taking one last look at the blonde who was more distant than she ever thought was possible.

She was so used to the blonde's warm nature that she didn't even consider the possibility that Yuzu was capable of anything other than kindness and overflowing affection yet the girl who sat only a few steps away felt like she was an entirely different person. The raven-haired girl felt a force grip at her heart, she never thought that being ignored by Yuzu would affect her at all.

"You ready to go, Prez.?" Harumi asked Mei, causing the latter to quickly look away from the blonde and pretend like she had been looking somewhere else before replying, "Yes."

"Let's go then" Harumi escorted her out of the door and with a click of the lock, the tension in the apartment rose tenfold.

* * *

Notes:

Finally got this out. I've been itching to write this part of the story so I can work on the events that come after it but life keeps getting in the way and I had to push back on updating. Blech. I might have also gotten distracted by a few memes and images of Alter Jeanne but let's just blame it all on life.

My whining aside, we're now entering the part of the story where we talk about the relationship between the Aiharas and Okogis (somewhat) and also the man who murdered Yuzu's father in cold blood and will be revealed or discussed further in the coming chapters.

Thanks for reading! Glad to know that quite a few people are enjoying the story! :D


	30. Chapter 30: Choices and Consequence

A heavy atmosphere was present in the living room, something that Sho thought as 'impossible' whenever Yuzu was present anywhere and yet the blonde girl that sat in front of him was nothing like the 'Yuzu-chan' he had been acquainted with during their brief meeting. No, the girl in front of him was Okogi Yuzu, the detective, and no signs of her cheerful self was present at the moment.

The raven-haired man kept his composure and made himself comfortable, crossing his legs in a very poised manner as he waited for the conversation to begin while his eyes darted back and forth between the blonde and her pink-haired companion whom he was meeting for the first time. The two girls were busy whispering to each other and from the looks of it, they were having an argument which Sho could only assume had something to do with why Mei had to leave the apartment.

"Yuzu-chan, what's this about?" Sho feigned ignorance. He already had an idea on what could possibly spur this on since there has only ever been a single event that would come crashing down on him all these years later but he didn't want to confirm his guess directly and so he chose to dance around the issue and have Yuzu open up about it instead of immediately admitting it.

It wasn't like Sho wasn't prepared to face the consequences. He always thought that the past would eventually catch up to him and that if it ever did, he would willingly tell all the secrets he had kept chained within his mind for the past nineteen years. His only worry was that instead of some random detective assigned to the case, it was Okogi Kyou's daughter herself that was sitting in the same room and preparing to question him.

"Sho-ojisan, can you please watch something for me?" Yuzu looked at Sho and despite the familiar way in which she called out to him, the man knew that everything had changed. The tone in Yuzu's voice was nothing but cold, completely devoid of any emotion. Her eyes completely lost its color and dulled, she was broken on the inside... "Of course," he answered simply.

With the confirmation from the raven-haired man, Yuzu went ahead and turned the television on. She replayed the video from the very beginning but made sure to observe Sho's reaction instead, hoping that she would find some sort of clue in the man's facial expression and also to spare herself from having to rewatch her father's cold-blooded murder.

It didn't take long for Sho's dignified face to contort into horror as he realized that the video he was watching was a surveillance footage of the murder he helped cover up years ago. It was one thing to have seen the dead body of the detective in person, it was another to actually see him get killed in nothing short of an execution and the guilt of how he buried this incident suddenly felt like the weight of the world had come crashing down on him while his eyes mercilessly burned the image into his memory.

Sho reflexively hid behind his hands and hunched over while continuously mumbling "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." over and over again to the blonde's dismay, "I don't want an apology." Yuzu answered, unsure of how to feel about the entire thing. She knew he was sincere with the apology and she was also aware that rather than towards her, those words were meant for the entirety of the Okogis, "I want to know what happened. That's all I want from you."

The raven-haired man looked up and acknowledged Yuzu's wish with a slight nod, "I'll tell you what I know but there are some things that even I'm not aware of. I'm sorry, Yuzu-chan." An audible tongue flick passed through Matsuri's lips. The thought of the man involved in the murder of Yuzu's father and calling the blonde 'Yuzu-chan' made her skin crawl with disgust and she made sure to let him know, "Stop calling her 'Yuzu-chan,' you bastard! Do you even know what she went through all these years?! What auntie Ume went through?!" the pink-haired lunged forward, towering over the man.

"Matsuri, stop." Yuzu called out to the girl looked like she was just about ready to punch the raven-haired man but this was still a murder investigation first and foremost, plus Matsuri would get into some serious disciplinary punishment if she laid a hand on someone as influential as an Aihara, "I'm not going to say that it's okay... but I do want to hear the story." Yuzu smiled gently at her overprotective 'little sister.'

"But this bastard slept comfortably in his high-class apartment rolling in money while you-"

"That's enough, Matsuri." She was a bit more commanding this time. Matsuri had her best interest in mind but she also wanted to know what Sho knew and while she utterly hated him and whatever reason he had for helping the murderer, she also understood that he wasn't the one that pulled the trigger even though she felt nothing short of despise for him at the moment.

Matsuri complied, making sure to sit right beside Yuzu and grumble in disappointment after the blonde prevented her from pummeling the raven-haired man's face, "Whatever." she cussed at the man, glaring at his face with sheer anger. On the other hand, Even if the pink-haired girl had thrown that punch, Sho would've welcomed it because he knew he deserved as much. He felt like at the very least that would lessen the guilt he had carried all these years.

"Sho-ojisan, can you tell us now?" Yuzu shifted her attention from Matsuri to Sho, who was impatiently shaking his leg as if to subconsciously signal his discomfort towards the situation, "I don't care if it's not a full account. I just want to know about it and who that man is." Sho once again hunched over, lacing his fingers together and supporting his head with his thumbs, "I understand," he told her.

"19 years ago, I agreed to help Yukimura Akihiko, my brother-in-law, on a business-related issue that he's been having issues with for months. According to him, there was a detective that was cracking down on his entire operation in an attempt to extort money from the Yukimura family and at the time, I believed him. He told me that detective's name was Okogi Kyou and the way he described the man was in line with what you'd think a typical corrupt cop is."

"Bullshit." Matsuri cut in but Sho ignored the comment and continued speaking.

"With both the Yukimura and Aihara family's sake in mind, I went ahead and hired an investigator to ask around about the detective in question but nothing made sense. Everything that the investigator reported back was nothing short of an exemplary man; he lived an ordinary life, was well liked at work, an honest man who would even break down every time he failed to save a life."

"I'm not stupid. I knew something was up and decided to ask the investigator to find out why Okogi Kyou was so determined to bring Akihiko in and from then things got worse... I found out that the Yukimura family, under Akihiko's guidance, had been dealing with illegal businesses. Everything from drugs to gambling, Akihiko didn't discriminate against anything. If it brought money to the Yukimuras then Akihiko would do it."

"Okogi Kyou was after him because of all the illegal businesses he was delving in and the man's sense of justice got the better of him. I knew it was only a matter of time before the detective made his move and tried to arrest Akihiko whom I always knew was ruthless and uncaring of consequences. I wanted to stop everything before something irreversible happened and with that in mind, I called Akihiko."

"I told him that I knew everything from the shady deals to the illegal businesses and he told me to come and meet him... that was November 13th, I still remember arriving at the building and heading for the roof only to find that I was too late and... I lost it. I panicked, I've been raised with a brutal business-oriented mindset but not even my father's stoic upbringing prepared me for that."

"I was angry, so angry that I didn't know how to deal with the situation. I shouted and argued with him but I lost... unlike me who was emotional, Akihiko was cold and calculating. He didn't give a second thought on using what he could use to his advantage and for me, that was my children. He argued that if I didn't help him, he would make me an accessory. It was his word against mine and he would make sure that I wouldn't get out of the ordeal unscathed."

"You might think that's horrible of me but all I could think about was Mei and Kei, the shame they'd have to grow with and the damage it would do to them. They were only three at the time..." Sho bit his cheek, unable to apologize enough for his weakness and failure to act. His guilt and regret filled every corner of his being and yet he couldn't say that he would have done things differently if he was given another choice.

"You piece of crap! Your family?! Kyou-ojisan died when Yuzu-chan was the same age as your kids! What makes you think your children deserved better than she does!?" Matsuri was at wit's end. She couldn't bear to hear more of the Aihara man's blatant disregard for everyone else but his family and position but once again Yuzu stopped her and she had no choice but to comply.

"I didn't know that he had a daughter..." Sho looked like he was about to cry at this point, closing his eyes and hiding them behind his fingers in an attempt to hide the tears that threatened to burst forth, " I only found out when I snuck in to attended his funeral and saw a little girl, around the same age as my own, put on a brave front and proudly place her artwork on top of his casket. At that time I realized it was his daughter and I couldn't bear the guilt anymore. I ran and went home to my father's house. I told him everything and he kept the Yukimura family under watch."

"On the other hand, the Yukimuras dealt with covering up any tracks Akihiko might have left. Every single evidence was destroyed so as to not trace it back to him and I kept my mouth shut. I became a mess, I tried hard for the twins but my wife knew better and eventually she couldn't take it anymore and decided to get a divorce. After that, my father decided that it was best for me to clear my mind away from Japan... and so I ended up in England."

"When I heard from Mei that a detective with the name of Okogi was present at the academy, I already knew somewhere deep inside me that it was that man's daughter. Coincidences like that? It was only a matter of time before that incident was brought up, so I decided to return to Japan and see how that little girl grew up. You might not believe me but I was glad that you became a fine young woman because I felt like if you hadn't, the responsibility would've also been partly mine."

Yuzu looked at the once proud Aihara Sho breaking down right in front of her and seeing him like that broke her heart just a tiny bit at a time. She still hated him and she couldn't forgive him for his silence but there was also the gnawing feeling of understanding that he only did what was best for his children at the time. The real person she should be hating was the man called Yukimura Akihiko, "Sho-ojisan, what happened to Yukimura Akihiko?" she inquired about the real culprit without acknowledging any of Sho's honest emotions.

"He was forced by the Yukimura patriarch to vacate the country after the incident but he continued his illegal operations through trusted henchmen and he returned to Japan 4 years after. I don't know what he did after that and after the divorce, I lost all contact with my wife and the Yukimura family. I only heard that years later he was admitted into a mental institution under the diagnosis of schizophrenia."

"Is he still alive today?"

"Yes, I can give you the hospital name if you'd like to meet him yourself..." Sho quickly went to the telephone stand and grabbed a piece of paper from the stack they usually kept for taking notes. He scribbled the name of the hospital as best as he could remember, "I'm sorry, Yuzu-chan. I don't know the address. The name is the best I can do." he apologized to the blonde while handing the piece of paper to her.

Yuzu looked at the name of the hospital and recognized it as part of the Momokino chain of businesses, "Sho-ojisan, this asylum is also owned by the Momokino family, right?" she asked him, "Yes. I believe that he's been labeled as dangerous and as such, would not be allowed contact outside of immediate family. If you ask Himeko-chan, then even without the family's consent, you might be able to meet him off the records."

"I see, thank you for telling me what you know." The blonde got up from her seat, confusing Matsuri, "Yuzu-chan, what are you doing? Shouldn't we be arresting him?!" the pink-haired girl shouted. Her nerves have been getting the best of her for the majority of the evening and she was just about ready to explode from all the frustration, however, Yuzu was more confused than anything else. All she wanted to do at the moment was to run away from everything.

"No, Matsuri. Not right now and I don't think he'll run anyway. Right? Sho-ojisan." The blonde's choice of action surprised Sho. He thought that Yuzu would've immediately called the cavalry on him and yet it looked like the blonde had no intention of doing that at the moment. She was right though, he wouldn't leave. He had already prepared himself to go to jail ever since his plane landed in Japan.

"I- I'll be leaving the apartment. Please tell Mei for me." she continued as she prepared to head out the door without even thinking of her belongings or where she'll go afterward.

"Wait!" Sho shouted at her, "I know I don't have the right to ask this from you... but please, don't punish Mei and Kei for my mistakes and Akihiko's actions." he pleaded towards the blonde knowing that the twins were equally fond of the girl, Mei especially, despite the girl's fervent denial of the fact. Yuzu heard those words but chose not to react and continued towards the door, Matsuri following closely behind her.

She kept walking without turning back and finally when she arrived at a secluded spot far enough from the apartment, she broke down. Tears fell from Yuzu's eyes like endless streams of sadness and bitterness. Matsuri didn't know what to do, she was never good at consoling and simply watched as the blonde drowned herself in sadness while quietly uttering, "What should I do, Matsuri?... I don't know what to do anymore."

In the stillness of the night, no one but Matsuri bore witness to the sheer and utter heartbreak that Yuzu felt. Her knees flat on the ground as she continued to bawl, crying her frustration and hurt at the moonless sky.


	31. Chapter 31: Neglecting What We Long For

Music recommendation: Sofa by Suga Shikao

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A few days passed since Yuzu's departure and Mei had been feeling a little off with the blonde's absence. At first she thought it was because she had to go back to cooking her own meals or eating out with her father, then she assumed it was due to the fact that the blonde wasn't constantly nagging her to stop working, causing her to feel a little isolated but then she realized it was simple - she had grown accustomed to Yuzu's presence and it was simply not the same without her.

Mei looked at the mobile phone she had received from the blonde. It was already the nth time she gazed upon the screen in order to check for messages but none came, not today, not the day before that or the day before the previous one. She didn't know what transpired during the evening where she was asked to leave but no one was telling her anything, especially not her father who quickly shot her down as soon as she started to inquire about Yuzu.

Since Sho was already leaving in a matter of days, he already moved to Aihara Mansion and with the blonde gone, he had insisted that Mei stay there with him which she felt compelled to agree to since she had no reason to disagree at this point. Sho would drive and pick her up from school while Harumi and Himeko often accompanied her during breaks. She was never alone and yet she felt like something was missing, like pieces of her had been torn off and she didn't even know where to begin patching damage.

During the evenings when she was alone in her bedroom and lying in bed, the emptiness got worse. It was a phantom feeling, like losing a limb and expecting it to still be there only to realize that it was, indeed, gone. She couldn't explain it but despite the short amount of time that they spent together, Mei found herself being kept awake at night as thoughts of the blonde invaded her mind. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Going to school, eating, and living together, everything felt like a dream but now the dream was over and she didn't even know why. At some very dark corner of Mei's mind, she wished that she had resolved the feelings that Yuzu was brave enough to admit that night at the party. Maybe some part of her believed that if she had addressed it properly, then Yuzu wouldn't have left. On the other hand, another side of her thought that this was simply the same as everything else. Everyone ends up leaving eventually. In the end, nothing changes.

"Mei-Mei? Are you okay?" Mei snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she had been tapping her pencil quite loudly on the desk, causing Himeko to question her state of mind, "I'm fine, Himeko. I was just thinking about something." she quickly admitted but not to the extent of what really bothered her. At the corner of the room, Mei noticed that Harumi was still quietly reading a magazine and she contemplated on asking the plum-haired girl about the circumstances of Yuzu's departure.

"Mei-Mei, if you're tired, I can do this for you. I'm a little rusty but I should be able to pick it up as I go." Himeko offered, causing Harumi to giggle a little at the exchange. She always saw how the two heiresses acted during high school and it made her smile that some things never change, including Himeko's total devotion towards helping her one and only 'Mei-Mei.'

"That won't be necessary. Besides, don't you have classes to attend soon?" Himeko's face paled as Mei finished her sentence, seems like the girl had been so worried about her childhood friend that she completely forgot about her own schedule, "Oh my, I'm going to be late. I'm sorry Mei-Mei but I'll have to go now. Will you be all right?" the girl's thick brows knitted with worry.

"Yes, don't worry. Taniguchi-san will be with me."

Himeko turned her head towards Harumi's direction and shouted, "Taniguchi Harumi! Make sure to watch Mei-Mei properly!" causing the plum-haired girl to jolt up in surprise, "Jeez, vice prez. you're as energetic as ever. Don't worry, I got it," Harumi gave her a thumbs up and with a less than satisfied pout, Himeko left the room, leaving only Mei and Harumi in awkward silence.

The office was cold without Yuzu. It didn't matter if the sun was blazing in through the window or if another person or two were in the room with her, it was just desolate. She gazed at the chair in front of her desk which Yuzu always occupied when the blonde accompanied her during the afternoons. She could still vividly remember the girl's apologetic smiles whenever she scolded her for being too noisy. That ever-present smile had etched itself in her memory.

Mei sighed loudly, she didn't even intend to but her body allowed it to escape from her lips anyway. This wouldn't do at all, she couldn't work. She couldn't even think about anything else. Everywhere she went, she was reminded of Yuzu and her radiant warmth, the shy smiles and the tenderness she offered despite Mei's constant disapproval.

Harumi looked up from her magazine when she heard the vented frustration that Mei released and caught the raven-haired 'ice queen,' as they used to refer to her, with her facade down and her eyes staring longingly at the empty chair in front of the girl. Harumi couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight when she realized that it was the chair Yuzu often occupied, "Missing Yuzu-cchi, Prez.?" she teased the raven-haired girl.

"Don't be ridiculous." Mei defensively answered while straightening herself and reinstating her usual dead-eyed expression. The words flew out of her mouth before she could even consider Harumi's question, she realized it was already second nature for her to deny any unwanted emotions that she didn't find useful in everyday life.

"Who would've known you had such a cute side, Prez.?" she continued making fun of Mei despite the raven-haired girl's denial, "Don't worry, Prez. She'll be back before you know it. She just had... 'stuff' to sort out." The plum-haired girl attempted to comfort Mei despite knowing chances of that working were pretty slim.

"As I said, that wasn't-" Mei was immediately cut off by Harumi, "Wasn't what you were thinking about?" she smiled at the raven-haired girl then looked back down on her magazine, "Sure, Prez. but you know... it doesn't hurt to be honest every once and a while. Don't you want to know what she thinks of you too?"

"Taniguchi-san, you should know this as well as I do. People like us are not allowed to 'want' nor 'wish' for anything." Mei's voice was authoritative, distant and empty. Like how you would recite a poem contrary to your emotions whilst trying your best, it was conflicted and flat.

"Maybe you're right but... isn't that such a lonely thing to say?"

Mei was a little surprised by the level of maturity that Harumi was displaying, it was like this wasn't the same girl who flew by through high school doing nothing more than distancing herself from the crowd. The girl who refused to be chained down by the rules of the academy and yet did nothing to fight the boundaries laid before her, and Mei considered if this change was brought on by the plum-haired girl's friendship with Yuzu, "Perhaps." she answered.

Harumi couldn't take the gloominess anymore and a brilliant idea struck her, "Say, Prez. How about we go and see how Yuzu-cchi is doing, huh?"

A few train stops away, a girl lay flat on the floor not even bothering to take out the futon. The room that Yuzu stayed in was only partially lit by the setting sun and with the amount of time she spent lifelessly staring at the ceiling, she had already lost count of the days since she left Mei's apartment.

Matsuri came by, knocking a few times, but Yuzu didn't even feel like lifting a finger or seeing anyone. The chill brought on by the concrete at night didn't deter her either, her entire body was numb from the pain she felt in her heart and the confusion that stirred in her mind. If she could just be swallowed up by the darkness cast on the room, then she would ask for no other comfort.

She was drowning in so much sorrow that she didn't even hear someone entered the apartment and was already standing in front of her bedroom door, "Yuzu." the woman called out to her but with the blonde's mental state, she didn't even know if she was hallucinating or dreaming, "What are you doing lying down on the floor? You'll get sick." the voice belonged to her mother.

Ume approached her daughter, it broke her own heart to see the mess that Yuzu had become. If it wasn't for Matsuri calling her then she wouldn't have even found out what her daughter was going through, "All right little miss, get up, get up! We can't have you grow mushrooms on your head like this." The brunette tried to joke in hopes that it would lift Yuzu's spirit.

"Mama? Is that you?" Yuzu rubbed her eyes that puffed over the number of tears she'd been shedding. Her vision was so hazy that she could barely see a few feet away from her, "Who else would it be?" Ume answered her with a slightly playful tone as she approached the blonde mess. When the older Okogi was within arm's reach, Yuzu lunged towards her, tumbling both of them down on the floor.

"Yuzu, I'm not as young as I used to be. You're gonna break my back." Ume once again tried to lighten the mood but Yuzu just squeezed the life out of her and cried some more even though tears were barely leaving her eyes at this point. She had cried so much that it seemed like she literally ran out of tears to shed. Ume gave up and hugged the blonde, cradling her like she used to when Yuzu was still a child, "There, there." she whispered quietly.

When the blonde finally calmed down, Ume got up and pulled Yuzu on her feet and shoved the blonde into the bathroom while she prepared dinner for the both of them. The older Okogi checked the fridge only to find that it was completely empty and came to the conclusion that Yuzu most likely hadn't eaten for days.

"Yuzu! I'll buy ingredients at the supermarket. Just stay put, okay?" Ume shouted inside the apartment before heading out. The brunette told herself that she needed to scold Yuzu for not eating enough once the blonde had recovered from her current mood. There was a lot to talk about and while Matsuri had informed her of what happened, she still wanted to hear it from Yuzu.

On her way to the supermarket, she heard the voices of two girls arguing, one angry that the other didn't know where to go and the other defending herself by saying that she was sure it was around there somewhere. It wasn't until one of the voices mentioned the name 'Matsuri' that Ume decided to go and take a look at who the two were. To her surprise, it was Harumi and Mei.

"Mei-chan, Harumi-chan. What are you two doing here?" She asked the unlikely pair, "Well... Prez. was getting a little-" Mei glared at Harumi, making the plum-haired girl shut up, "We just wanted to see how Yuzu is doing." Mei finished the sentence with the usual monotone she often used to hide the actual emotions behind her words.

"I see." Ume smiled at the girls and gave them both a hug, "Thank you for taking care and worrying about my daughter," Harumi openly accepted the hug but Mei fidgetted a little on contact. Ume reminded her a lot of Yuzu, both of the Okogi women were quick on the show of affection and treated it like nothing more than common greetings but Mei couldn't say that she hated it. She might've even wished to have a mother like Ume.

"Ume-san, I thought you were in Korea on business?" Mei asked as she pulled away from the older woman's hug, "I was but I can't leave Yuzu alone so I came running back on the first flight available after Matsuri-chan called me. Maternal instincts and all," she smiled at Mei. "You two, I'm sorry to do this but I don't think Yuzu is up for visitors at the moment. I know you both went a long way... but could you let me handle this for now?"

Mei stared at Ume in surprise, 'Is it that bad that she would refuse to see her best friend?' Mei asked herself and then the thought popped in, 'Maybe it's because I'm here... if so,' "Ume-san, if it's me, then I can go home and Taniguchi-san can go with you." Ume noticed the sadness in Mei's voice even when the raven-haired girl did her best to bury the feeling.

Shaking her head, Ume addressed the concern, "It's not you, Mei-chan. I just don't think Yuzu would want either of you to see her as she is now. So, please? Let Mama handle it." the brunette proudly puffed her chest with determination. She was happy that Yuzu had found people who would stay and worry about her no matter what. It was all a mother could ever ask for.

"All right, Ume-obasan. Tell her I'm going to kick her butt if she doesn't come back soon." Harumi joked, then gave a gentle slap on Mei's back, "Don't you have anything to say, Prez.?" she smiled at the girl, encouraging her.

Mei thought for a few seconds. She considered what words she wanted to say, the first ones that she wanted to get across to the blonde, "I'll-" she stuttered, pondering on whether it was a good idea to verbalize her thoughts but ultimately losing the battle and giving in, "I'll be looking forward to her return."

The words were simple and indirect but Ume knew it was essentially the same as saying 'I miss you.' The older woman chuckled at the thought, 'What a tsundere' she muttered to herself with a smile as the two girls bid her goodbye and went on their way.

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Notes:

Kei's name is pronounced as 'Kay' similar to how Mei is pronounced. It just seemed really perfect considering the two are twins in this AU and the meaning behind the names. I actually do spend a bit of time choosing names for characters I add in and also giving names to people who weren't given official first names in the manga.

Amemiya was very difficult to name considering his surname sounds odd with most given first names.

Also, Mei is not going to think anything because of _spoiler spoiler spoiler._ 8D

Cheers everyone!

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I've added a music track at the top of the chapter. I will probably do this for a few other chapters as I'm a sucker for background music and mood setting. Plus, I thought this particular piece suited Mei's thoughts at the moment.

Unfortunately, the website doesn't allow me to paste links so you guys will have to look for the song on YT.


	32. Chapter 32: Forgive, for Your Sake

Ume was already on her third beer can when Yuzu finally decided to stop eating and put her food away, making sure to apologize to her mother for not finishing the meal that the older Okogi worked on. The blonde's appetite just wasn't present, not even after skipping all those meals.

"Yuzu, can we talk?" Ume questioned the girl who had already left the table to put her leftovers in the fridge, "I heard a bit from Matsuri-chan but I still want to talk it over with you, if that's okay." Ume didn't want to pressure her daughter into it but she also couldn't let this go on for much longer. Yuzu was a complete and utter mess, there wasn't even a single beauty product on her face and the blonde hair that the girl so affectionately styled every day was now a mess of golden locks.

Yuzu looked at Ume and fidgetted a little. She was uncomfortable, in the first place how was she even going to explain everything to her mother. Ume is a strong woman, Yuzu knew that but knowing that she found her father's killer and his associate then ran from the entire situation... the blonde was afraid of what the older woman would say to her. Would she be disappointed? No, she probably wouldn't. She'd comfort her like she did every single time, that was the type of mother Ume is: loving and forgiving.

"Mama, it's about Papa." Yuzu sat back at the table after she finished cleaning up after herself, "What I'm going to say might distress you but I think that you also have the right to know, Mama." Yuzu kept her eyes planted on the table, too afraid to look up and see what kind of expression her mother was making at the moment, "All right, I understand."

The blonde twiddled her thumbs, still unwilling to look up as she told the entire story to her mother. Everything from the case that her father was working on, how he ended up on that roof, how the Aihara and Yukimura family covered up the murder and particularly who the man that killed her father was and where he was now. Yuzu kept talking. She even told her mother about Sho's request for his children.

Ume listened to her wordlessly. It would be a lie to say that her husband's real fate didn't shake her to the core but she had to stay strong for both of them, "So something like that happened, huh?" Ume commented, trying her best not to allow her voice to break at this point. "Mama, aren't you mad? Don't you want them to be punished for taking Papa away?" Yuzu asked with tears in her eyes.

Reaching out towards her daughter's trembling hands, Ume made sure that she grasped tightly at those pale fingers before speaking, "For a very long time... I was overcome with grief after losing your father and once the grief subsided, there was nothing left but hatred. Anger towards those who took him away, disappointment towards the police for not finding whoever killed him."

"And now?" the blonde asked, finally looking into her mother's face only to find the most serene she had ever seen her, "I've forgiven," she smiled at the blonde, "I had you and you meant the world to me and your father and I didn't want you to lose us; him to death and me to despair. So, I made the decision to let go and simply focus my all into loving you enough for the both of us." Ume gripped at Yuzu's hand a little tighter as if to assure the girl.

"But Mama... I don't know what to do anymore." Yuzu bawled. She grasped her mother's hand with both of her own and squeezed as hard as she could, keeping her head down as she let out her frustration and confusion, "I want to get justice for Papa but I-" Yuzu's voice got stuck in her throat and she was unable to continue speaking.

Her crying had gotten the best of her and she was now gasping for air while trying to speak out, "If I go after Yukimura Akihiko, Sho-ojisan will be implicated and I... I don't want Mei to go through what I went through. I don't want her to lose her dad," the blonde spoke between sobs.

Ume looked lovingly at her daughter, she was very proud of the woman that Yuzu had become. The ability to think of other, her compassion and gentleness, Ume thought that if Kyou was alive today, he would've felt the same pride as she did at this moment, "Yuzu, there's something that I want to give you. Stay put for a bit, okay?" Ume pulled her hand away from the blonde and exited the room before returning with a small wooden box carved with three ornate Yuzu fruits.

"Your father told me to keep this after you were born. He said that with his line of work, he never knows when he's going to get into trouble or how long he would be around and despite my constant pleading for him to change careers, that man was very stubborn, just like you." Ume looked solemnly at the engraving on the box and ran her finger on it before pushing the box towards Yuzu, "He made this so that if he was ever gone before you got married, he would at least have a gift to leave you."

"But Mama, I'm not getting married yet..." The blonde wiped her tears and looked cautiously at the box, "I know but I think now is also a good time to look at what's inside, right? Go on." Ume pushed the box closer to Yuzu and the blonde obliged by taking it and lifting the top lid to reveal the contents. Inside the box was a photo of her parents holding her. The date on the photo confirmed that it was a photo of the day she was born, Kyou looked like he had just won a million dollars on the lottery while holding his brunette daughter, on the other hand, Ume looked like she was just about ready to kick her husband out of the room.

Behind the photo was a letter which was obviously aged due to its yellowish appearance. Yuzu took out the letter and read the writings on the envelope 'To my beloved daughter, Yuzu. From your awesome Papa, Kyou.' The blonde chuckled a little at the greeting, it was exactly how she remembered her father. Carefully breaking the seal on the envelope, the blonde found a letter inside:

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 _Dear Yuzu,_

 _I hope that you're reading this because you're going to get married soon or have already been married and not because A) Your mom didn't keep her promise or B) You found this box stashed somewhere and got your grubby little curious hands on it. In any case, if you're reading this letter (because_ hopefully _, you can read) then you should already know that my occupation comes with certain... dangers._

 _With that in mind, I wrote this letter immediately after I found out we were having you. I wanted to leave something behind in the event that I wouldn't be able to see you grow up or walk you down the aisle and if you're reading this letter, then I guess I'm already gone. I'm sorry for leaving you behind and I hope that you remember me well and that we had a lot of fun during the time that we spent together._

 _However, Yuzu, whatever the circumstances of my death, please learn to forgive... even if it's hard and you feel like it's impossible to do so. Please, don't be blinded by rage or revenge. I don't wish for you to live your life constantly harboring hatred in your heart because if you can't forgive then the one you're hurting the most is yourself; staying at the same place, being unhappy and constantly seeking retribution, I don't want that for you. I want you to live free and unshackled by negativity and so please, forgive even if it's difficult._

 _Live your life to the fullest. Walk tall without regret and take in everything that life has to offer. There might be times when you come to a standstill and you don't know which way to go but that's okay too, take your time and enjoy each passing moment without taking anything for granted, after all, sometimes the answers that we seek have been with us all along. We just need to look a little deeper into ourselves to find it._

 _You are my irreplaceable treasure, I'm sure your mother feels the same way, and so I want you to find happiness, something that goes beyond material possession, something that will make you excited to get up every morning and continuously look forward to tomorrow. If you've already found that then I'd be sitting happily in heaven, watching over you._

 _I will always be proud of you Yuzu and I wish you a long and prosperous life with your beloved._

 _Congratulations on your wedding._

 _Your loving dad,_

 _Okogi Kyou_

 _PS._

 _If I'm dead, don't forget to bring me flowers every year or I'll haunt you._

 _Also, try to stop your Mama from drinking too much._

 _One more thing, you better be marrying a good man! or woman! (I don't discriminate) Don't go for jerks!_

* * *

Ume looked at her daughter as the girl finished reading the letter, "How was it?" she asked and the blonde looked straight at her with renewed vigor, "Papa is exactly like how I remembered him." Yuzu was smiling, it was like all the hurt she had felt through the last few days was just a bad dream and Ume took it as a sign that Kyou's letter somehow managed to give their daughter some peace of mind.

"Yuzu, are you feeling better now?" Ume asked the blonde who gave her a mournful smile. Her father's words had given her clarity... there wasn't a day that she didn't wish her father was still alive and knowing the pain of living without him, how could she do the same to Mei? No, it would be even worse for the raven-haired girl as she would've had to kill her own father in her mind even though he would still be alive, but at the same time, guilt wrapped her head like a plastic film that suffocated her.

It was a choice that she had to make: Follow through with the case and get justice for her father even if it meant throwing Sho in jail... or let it go. The fear of her mother being disappointed at her was what crippled Yuzu the most, "Yes, Mama. I've made my decision... though I wonder if you'll hate me for it." The blonde hung her head low.

"I see, so you don't plan on pursuing the case?" Ume asked, quickly catching onto the blonde's words and the girl nodded weakly, confirming that Ume's guess was correct, "I'm not going to hate you for being kind, Yuzu. If I was being honest with you, I can't really blame Aihara-san for the decision that he made because I'm sure that I would've done the same if I was in his shoes. That's a parent's love, after all, it's unconditional."

"Thank you, Mama." Yuzu flew out of her chair and towards Ume, wrapping her mother in a tight hug, "Now, you've caused your friends a lot of trouble. Shouldn't you go and contact them?" Ume pushed her daughter off and fixed the disheveled girl, "Ah... my phone has been blowing up since days ago..." The blonde quickly ran towards the living room and grabbed her phone, checking the messages on it, "Wow. They're really pissed."

"I would be too if you just suddenly disappeared and didn't take calls or answer texts." Ume scolded the blonde who was already reading messages on her phone. There were a few messages from Harumi, Matsuri, Kei, and Goro... but obviously, none from Mei. The blonde sighed, catching Ume's attention, "Something the matter?"

"Yes, looks like they found more victims of the serial killer we've been hunting." That wasn't exactly what she was sad about but it was a good excuse to throw her mother off, or so she thought, "That's horrible... but what are you really moping about?" Ume gave a sly grin which made it look like she knew the real reason, "Mei didn't send a single message." Yuzu pouted and Ume laughed.

"Are you sad because of that? Then don't worry, I actually ran into Harumi-chan and Mei-chan earlier. I sent them home because you were too busy wallowing in depression but they wanted me to pass on a message to you. Harumi-chan said that you're in a world of hurt if you don't get back soon and Mei-chan... she says she misses you." Ume laughed internally at her little white lie, technically it wasn't one because that was obviously what Mei meant even if she phrased it differently.

Yuzu felt her face burn at those words, 'Mei misses me? What?!' she was screaming internally and her heart was pounding right off of her chest while she tried to hide her embarrassment by covering her face with both of her hands, earning her a loud laugh from Ume, "Jeez, Yuzu. You're not a kid anymore. How can you get so flustered just by hearing someone missed you?"

"Stop it, Mama! I'm really troubled here." Yuzu pouted, nearly crying from how rattled she was at the moment which the older Okogi found all the more amusing but ultimately resisted. Ume approached her daughter and gave her the tightest hug she could muster, then told Yuzu, "She's waiting for you to come back," with a warm smile on her face. Yuzu acknowledged her mother's words and gave thanked her properly, "Mama, thank you for always supporting me."

"The best thanks you could give... is to always follow your heart, Yuzu. Even with this whole thing, I want you to remember that if you ever have to make a decision from now on, you must listen to what your heart tells you, so you don't live with any regrets, okay?"

"Yes, Mama. Thank you and I love you." Come morning Yuzu would have to deal with the issues back at Tokyo, everything from her departure to the new Doll Maker victim that was found but for tonight she wanted to hear about her father and so she and her mother spent the rest of the night reminiscing about her late father and looking at what little family photos they found that included him.

* * *

Notes:

Plot ball rolling again soon. (￣∇￣;)))( ((((;＿⊿＿)

Let's talk about Yuzu's father, Okogi Kyou, for a little bit. In the manga it was explicitly stated that Yuzu resembled her father a lot (personality-wise) and knowing that Yuzu is kind to a fault, then her father would probably be the same way. I found it very easily understood that Kyou would have no animosity towards the circumstances of his death and would wish for nothing more than for his family to move on and happily go through life even without him.

* * *

I mentioned before that a lot of people disliked Mei in the manga because of how little she developed through the story. I don't think that's necessarily true because I found that while we didn't get any monologues from her, we do see a lot of subtle things here and there such as her wearing the ring even without Yuzu's presence (she always has it on when she's not at school) even if she's just at home.

She had a lot of self-control throughout the first half of the manga then that gradually crumbled as her own feelings grew and she was sent into internal turmoil between performing her duty and following her happiness.

I'll expand on this idea some other time because it's integral to Mei's development in this fanfic as well and I don't want to antagonize myself over it for now.


	33. Chapter 33: So That I May Offer My All

"Huuuuuuuuuuuh? You did WHAT?!" Matsuri violently slammed both of her palms on the table, causing a few people to look at her direction in worry but the pink-haired girl couldn't care less about the stares she was receiving, "Why the hell did you do that?! Are you crazy?" she continued shouting at Harumi who was sitting right across the table.

"Calm down, will you? Prez. looked down and I thought Yuzu-cchi would cheer up if she saw her." Harumi waved Matsuri down, telling the girl to sit down before they get kicked out of the restaurant, "And where in that stupid gyaru brain of yours did you think that seeing that bitch was gonna cheer Yuzu-chan in any way? You KNOW what her family did to Yuzu-chan's dad, right?!"

Matsuri was in no mood to joke, she hasn't been for the past few days and no one has been able to calm her down nor give her a scolding, not even her father despite his authority over the pink-haired girl, "God damn it. Is no one thinking anymore?" she fumed before taking a drink from her iced tea and slamming the glass back down on the table, earning her a few more cautious stares from the other patrons.

"Will you just calm down? It's not like we got to see her." Harumi knew it was a gamble to bring Mei but she couldn't just leave things the way they were. She wasn't heartless, she knew Mei was bothered by Yuzu's absence and she wasn't blind either, she knew that the blonde felt something special towards the raven-haired girl though whether that was platonic or romantic, she didn't dare guess.

"Who cares if you didn't get to see her?! The point is you still took that bitch with you! Besides, if Auntie Ume hadn't stopped you, then you WOULD have seen her!"

"Actually, I would've called you for directions 'cuz I got lost."

Matsuri lost all sense of control and was just about ready to vent her overflowing frustration at the plum-haired girl. She had been itching to beat someone up since Yuzu stopped her from punching Sho but now she was just plain done with holding back. Luckily a familiar impressively tall man had just entered the restaurant and called out to her, "Mizusawa, what do you think you're doing?" Goro asked apprehensively as he approached the table.

"Tsk." The pink-haired girl verbalized her hatred over the disturbance with a simple flick of her tongue, then sat back down. She and Harumi had agreed not to tell anyone about the contents of the tape. In fact they even kept the tape a secret because they felt like Yuzu should be the one to hand it in if she wanted to but deep inside, Matsuri could feel that if the blonde was left to her own devices, then chances are that tape might never see the light of day and that pissed Matsuri off even more.

Goro looked at the tense atmosphere at the table and inquired but he was given a cold shoulder by the pink-haired girl and Harumi simply gave an off-handed comment about some vague issue that Matsuri was having so he had no choice but to give up on resolving the tension. "Where's Okogi?" he asked the two while darting his eyes around the restaurant interior in search of the blonde who was nowhere to be found.

"She should be here soon, Goro-senpai. I got a text from her this morning and she said she'll be here today." Harumi shook her phone in Goro's direction, showing him the conversation where Yuzu stated her intent to attend and the senior officer nodded in acknowledgment. These out of office meetings had gotten hectic for Goro but if everything worked out, then Harumi and Yuzu would soon be pulled off from the academy and returned to the police station.

A few minutes later and the blonde arrived in her usual girly get up that was completely unfit for a police officer. Matsuri had never felt so happy in seeing Yuzu wear these ridiculous outfits because at least she knew that Yuzu was feeling a lot better, even if she didn't really know how that happened so quickly, she would be sure to ask the blonde as soon as she got a chance to.

"Okogi, were you that sick that you lost weight?" Goro had sharp eyes. Even Harumi wasn't sure of just how much Yuzu lost but it seemed like the senior detective wasn't their senior for no reason as he was accurately able to pinpoint the change in Yuzu's body mass, "Ah, I wasn't feeling so great and didn't have an appetite. Sorry for being away for so long." The blonde apologized while being a little surprised that she had lost enough weight for it to be noticeable.

"As long as you're good to work now, then don't worry about it." Goro looked at the two who were still slumped over their chairs, "Also, it's about time we head out, so get up and let's go" he motioned for Harumi and Matsuri to get up. They've been a bit more careful after the restaurant incident where Yuzu found someone spying on them and since then they've made sure to talk only in places where their privacy was absolute... such as a karaoke box.

"I can't get used to this at all," Matsuri complained about the location. It wasn't so much that it was a bad idea, she just didn't fancy the idea of going to these places with Goro, "Goro-senpai you stand out. Actually, you look like a molester with 3 girls." Matsuri quipped at Goro who kept his stern expression and gave no care to her comments. He was far too old to be baited into arguments with the chief's daughter.

"Focus on the case, Misuzawa. The faster we deal with this, the faster we can get these two out of undercover work and back to the station." His reply was swift and to the point. The three noticed that despite his unchanging expression, there was a clear excitement in Goro's movements today like he was looking forward to the meeting.

"Well, let's get right to the point then. Another victim was found the day before the last and we've done a background check on her. As usual, she has the typical black hair and damage that the other victims received and her body was found in pretty much the same way as the rest of the victims so we're pretty sure that it's the Doll Maker's handiwork."

"I'll spare you the victim's personal details, they should all be listed in the file that Misuzawa sent out but there is something important that you need to know and that is that we found a hair sample at the latest crime scene." Goro pulled out a piece of paper from the stack that he was carrying around and showed it to Harumi and Yuzu, "A single strand of light brown hair. Unfortunately, we can't perform a DNA test on it because the root is gone but according to Hibiki, if we have a sample to compare to then she'll be able to do a hair comparison test."

"But that's not the main cake of the day. Misuzawa, I'll let you take it from here since you're the one who heard it straight from Hibiki." Goro looked at Matsuri and waited for the girl to continue his briefing which annoyed Matsuri to no end. The pink-haired girl remembered how much Hibiki sent her back and forth from the evidence locker while comparing samples from Homura Mio and the Doll Maker's case, not to mention her altercation with Kurosawa that day.

"Hibiki-senpai ran a DNA test on the foreign blood which was found under Homura Mio's fingernail and then compared the results to the DNA collected from the Doll Maker victims and... she got a match with all of them." Matsuri gave the list of DNA comparison charts to Harumi and Yuzu who both looked at the results in shock.

"Are you sure?" Harumi looked at the paper, double checking all the percentage ratings before looking up at Matsuri with a questioning look, "Positive. Hibiki-senpai checked thrice and each time the same results came back," the pink-haired girl answered with little interest. "Also, I managed to extract the data from Homura Mio's mobile. Here are the texts and call logs that I managed to recover, plus a few photos that were still intact. I did my best to recover as much as I could."

Yuzu took the documents from Matsuri and started flipping through it. The texts and images confirmed that Homura Mio and Amemiya Hideki were indeed acquainted as they not only exchanged texts and calls on a daily basis, they also had quite a few photos together. A few also texts caught Yuzu's eye, one of them was a thread that seemed to be asking Mio to pay for the remainder of her step-father's debt and Yuzu remembered Mio's story from the hospital.

"Matsuri, can you find the identity of this number's owner?" Yuzu pointed at the number that sent the messages and Matsuri shrugged at it, "Sorry, Yuzu-chan. I already tried but it looks like that's a burner cell and no records of it exist." Yuzu pondered on it, they could pretend to be Mio and perform an entrapment operation but its been a while since her death and by now the collectors should already be aware of the murder, "I guess it isn't active anymore either, huh?" she asked Matsuri who nodded in agreement.

Yuzu continued flipping through the images and something else caught her attention. The image in question seemed like a gathering of friends by the way people in it were drinking and having fun. Mio, of course, was at the forefront of the picture. Her pretty face and radiance immediately stole all the attention away from everyone else but Yuzu's eyes studied the image like a hawk and noticed that at the back was a familiar looking man with his dark brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

"Matsuri, did you notice the manager when you looked at these photos?" Yuzu inquired while handing the photo to Harumi who hurriedly examined it herself. Matsuri nodded and confirmed what Yuzu saw, "Yes, I noticed him in there. Taniguchi-senpai also told me about what you learned at Homura Mio's workplace but do you really plan to question him about this?"

"We can't leave any stone unturned even if Amemiya is the one we're currently leaning towards. Besides, it's not like we have any solid proof against Amemiya until we get his DNA and match it against the samples that we have." Harumi was right and Yuzu knew that but she couldn't bring herself to doubt Udagawa Yasu. The man just seemed too gentle and timid for this kind of crime but then again, he does fall within Shiraho's profile.

"Why don't we first find the immediate danger that's Amemiya then?" Matsuri offered her opinion on the matter but Harumi wasn't going to have any of it, "We can't show preferential treatment just because we're close to him. If he's innocent, then he'll answer without causing a scene. It's that simple."

"Actually, it's not that simple, Taniguchi." Goro finally interrupted, "If this guy is really the second son of the Udagawa family, then we can't just randomly barge in and question him. That family is rich, influential, and well-connected. If he's really guilty of anything then tipping him off will just get us into more trouble than we bargained for. He might escape as well."

"Regardless, there's no way we're touching him unless we have more evidence that points to him because all we know right now is that he's a nice guy who gave Homura Mio a job when she needed it and that they're acquainted enough to be attending gatherings together. Does that sound like enough evidence to question a man of his standing?" Goro looked at his juniors and waited for an answer but both Harumi and Yuzu understood him very well and just nodded in agreement.

"Good. Leave Udagawa Yasu alone for now and focus on Amemiya Hideki. He's still our primary target, especially because we're still looking out for the Aihara heiress." The meeting ended on that note though the blonde wasn't happy with the sudden convergence of evidence. It felt extremely convenient but then again maybe she was just overthinking it.

"Yuzu-chan, are you okay now?" Matsuri took her chance as soon as Goro left. She was itching to ask Yuzu about it since the time she accompanied the girl back to their old hometown, "Yeah... thanks for looking out for me and calling Mama, Matsuri. I owe you." Yuzu smiled at the pink-haired girl and pulled her into a hug, causing the latter to blush at the show of affection.

"I-it's nothing. I just thought you'd want to have Auntie Ume here and all that." Matsuri shyly played off her embarrassment but Harumi was one step ahead of her and jumped in to hug both of them, "Stop being a shy, Matsuri. We both know you did it because you were worried about Yuzu," the plum-haired girl gave a playful smirk at Matsuri before squeezing the two a bit tighter, "I'm so glad you're back Yuzu-cchi! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Harumin. Now stop squeezing me, my body still hurts from sleeping on the floor."

"Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing now?" Harumi let go of the two girls and sat back on her chair, "I won't be revealing the tape and I won't be reopening the case." Yuzu answered her best friend's question without a shred of doubt in her voice. She still couldn't wholly forgive Sho and don't even ask about Yukimura Akihiko but she was going to take her time and she hoped that eventually, she would get over it.

"Have you gone crazy, Yuzu-chan? Why would you do that? This is your one and only chance to reopen the case!" Matsuri shouted in annoyance, unable to comprehend what was going through Yuzu's mind, "I know that but I had time to consider a lot of things and while I thought I wanted to find closure for Papa's death... I also realized that I wasn't willing to make someone else go through the same thing just so I can have my wish."

The look on Yuzu's face told Matsuri everything she needed to know, the blonde was serious about this and she wasn't going to budge. Matsuri also knew the real reason behind Yuzu's decision, "It's Mei-san isn't it? Just how much are you going to sacrifice for her?!" her voice had venom, it was a mix of anger and jealousy. A dangerous concoction.

Matsuri's words stirred something in Yuzu. The feelings she's been denying all this time, the very same ones that confused her, 'Ah... I understand now.' she thought, gripping tightly at her chest as she felt the pain burn, 'I'm in love with Mei.' Yuzu realized that her willingness to forgive Sho for his part in her father's murder had less to do with his relation to the raven-haired girl and more to do with Yuzu's own desire to protect Mei.

This was how strongly she felt towards Mei. The willingness to let go of what she sought after for so long. It was exactly as Matsuri said, this was her sacrifice and one her heart willingly took. In a sense, she chose love over family and even if she burned at the end, she was convinced that she wouldn't regret this decision.

"Sorry, I need to go!" Yuzu got up from her seat and bolted out the door, leaving Harumi and Matsuri dumbstruck. She had to tell Mei and this time she would say it properly but first, she had to take care of the matter with Kei. With that in mind, she whipped up her mobile and typed out two messages; one addressed to Kei, asking him to meet her and another to Mei, informing the raven-haired girl that she would be returning to the apartment that evening.

Maybe she wasn't making the correct decision and that she's just letting her heart prematurely and illogically dictate her actions but even so, she wanted to do this. Like her father said 'Walk tall with no regrets.' The blonde smiled to herself while running through the streets of Tokyo. Her entire being brimming with new found confidence.


	34. Chapter 34: Where the Heart Lies

A thick stack of papers had been slowly accumulating on Mei's desk. As shameful as it was to admit, she hadn't been in herself since Yuzu's departure and failing to meet the blonde when she even took the time to go out and find her did nothing but dampen Mei's mood further. Realizing that no work would be done today either, she calmly placed her pen down and opened the drawer that contained the mobile phone with a bear strap.

She never admitted it or even gave a hint at it when she received the gift but Mei was and still is extremely fond of bears. She wondered if the blonde had telepathically obtained the information and how frightening it would be if that was the case because then she'd be an open book and nothing could be worse than having her thoughts out in the open, unprotected.

Placing the phone on top of her desk, Mei played with the small bear, poking it and giving a faint smile at how adorable the little thing. Mei checked the phone for messages once more, not like she didn't already know that there would be any since she just checked 30 minutes ago and if a message did arrive, then the desk would've amplified the vibration.

Feeling a little disappointed and deciding to try a little harder at focusing on her work, Mei placed the device back into the drawer but the screen lit up before she could close it and the name 'Yuzu' appeared on the notifications, causing Mei to immediately pick up and read the message.

Yuzu: Mei~ Sorry for being away without notice. I'll come back to the apartment later and we can talk, see ya. ⊂(・﹏・⊂)

Mei felt her heart skip a beat at seeing Yuzu's message. She thought about whether she'd reply this time or if it would be a better idea to just show up at the apartment. It didn't really matter, she was just satisfied knowing Yuzu was back and that she would see those bright emeralds looking back at her again and even if that meant more distraction, it would be a welcome one.

Organizing the files on her desk, Mei quickly threw her personal belongings inside her bag and hurried out the room. Sho was already waiting for her since an hour ago and she didn't bother to come down on time because she wanted to stay out of the mansion for as long as possible but now there was a reason why she would want to go home. Inside of her pocket, the mobile phone which she neglected to lock was still showing her inbox and the message she typed out, 'I'll see you there, Yuzu.'

Those words gave no one a larger grin than the blonde herself. Smirking as she received the message, she couldn't help but subconsciously make the widest smile Kei had ever seen, "What are you smiling about, Okogi?" he asked in an almost pissed tone, obviously still mad at Yuzu disappearing into oblivion for a couple of days.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize it was showing on my face and it's Mei. I sent her a text and she replied." Yuzu approached Kei who had been sitting on a rather comfortable spot in the town square while smoking a cigarette, "I didn't know that you smoked, Kei." the blonde commented after noticing the cigarette on Kei's hand but the man just brushed it aside as a bad habit he had almost gotten rid of, "Not all the time. I used to smoke a lot more but I've been trying to quit. You stressing me out is not helping, by the way."

"I'm sorry..." Yuzu apologized once more, hanging her head low with shame, "Well, whatever. It's a bit late and I haven't had lunch, want to go and grab a bite?" he invited her warmly though Yuzu knew she hadn't been forgiven just yet, "Sure! I'll treat. You can consider it as my wholehearted apology!" Yuzu slammed her palms together, begging to be forgiven.

"I'll accept the free food but don't think you're getting through without an explanation," Kei held his hand out and pinched Yuzu's cheek, making the blonde wince in pain at how much force he applied. "That's mean, Kei. It hurts." she whined though Kei wasn't the least bit apologetic towards her, "You deserve it, just so you know." he said before grabbing Yuzu's arm and walking her towards a nearby restaurant.

"So, what did Mei say?" Kei was genuinely intrigued at what that sister of his would text. He couldn't see her as the type to ever touch a mobile phone, in fact, there were a few instances when their father had bought Mei a mobile but the girl always refused to use one and yet receiving one from Yuzu changed Mei's entire perspective on the matter, "Nothing much. I guess she's returning to the apartment." Yuzu took a seat as she answered Kei.

"How unusual, you know she wouldn't even touch anything portable until you came along. I don't know if I should be impressed or scared of you." It was half a joke, Kei really was impressed with Yuzu's ability to get people to warm up to her, in truth this may have been the reason why he fell for her. Yuzu was like a flame that lured all the broken, wretched moths towards her which meant they could just as well burn in her radiance.

"It's not that big of a deal... she understood that it's needed because of what's happening around right now and besides, I'm sure she's going to throw it away once there's no more use for it." The blonde felt a bit of hurt at knowing that was the most likely scenario. She may as well be cast aside by Mei once the whole thing was over but still she wanted to try and to do that, she needed to resolve things with Kei.

"Say, Kei. About what you asked me the other time..." Yuzu immediately had Kei's attention. He looked at her, waiting for the remainder of that sentence but when none came, he decided to clarify if she meant his confession, "Do you mean when I asked you out?"

"Yes... uh- that is. I'm sorry, I can't." The blonde kept her head down, unable to look directly into Kei's eyes because she felt bad on how long she made him wait only to realize she never had any feelings him. She felt like that one girl who held boys on a leash because she couldn't decide on whether to date them or not and technically, that wasn't the case but she couldn't help but feel awful about it anyway.

"I see. Hey Yuzu, look at me." Yuzu flinched at Kei's request, why did he have to make this so difficult for her. The mere thought of meeting his gaze terrified the blonde but she did decide to move forward so there's no point in backing down now. "Is there someone else?" his voice was low and melancholic. Yuzu knew she couldn't really hide it because of how everything just showed up on her face like broadcast straight from her heart, "Yes."

"Someone I know?"

"Someone you know very well." Yuzu smiled at remembering how she got to this point. Who would've ever thought she would be turning down a guy like Kei after dreaming about dating someone like him all her life. Even more surprising was the fact that she was rejecting him because the person who tugged so firmly at her heart was the confusing twin sister who never seemed to know exactly what she wanted nor able to put them into words. She might be crazy to fall for Mei instead of the everpresent and caring Kei and she couldn't explain it. It just had to be Mei or no one at all.

Kei looked at the serene expression on the blonde's face, he recognized that her emotions were genuine and that she wasn't just making stuff up to turn him down. Even though he tried to ignore it, his mind already knew who the blonde was thinking of at this very moment, "It's Mei, isn't it?" He smiled while brushing his hair back with his fingers. 'How ironic,' he thought.

Not knowing if answering the question was the correct decision made Yuzu doubt the act of opening her mouth. Was there any point in lying at this point though? If it was Kei, then he'd probably understand, "Yes, I'm sorry. I guess that might weird you out huh?" she laughed nervously.

"Not really, I kinda got the feeling when you kept turning me down to stay with her. I can't speak for Mei though." What he would've given to be Mei right now but there was no point in crying over spilled milk, "Excuse me a sec. I should wash my hands before the food arrives." Kei got up and headed for the men's room and Yuzu could've sworn that his eyes looked a little pained as he did.

The rest of dinner went by quietly with a few choice conversations here and there. Kei didn't even ask about her disappearance anymore and Yuzu didn't push it, she understood that Kei might've been sad at the moment though that thought in itself felt conceited because she didn't think that the raven-haired man liked her enough to be so affected by her rejection. It didn't take long for Yuzu to realize the extent of his feelings as Kei made sure to tell her a few words before they parted.

"Yuzu, if she turns you down or you decide not to go through with it. I'll still be waiting, okay?" he said with a smile on his face which the blonde acknowledged with full spirit, "Even if she rejects me, I definitely won't back down. Thank you, Kei," smiling herself as she waved him goodbye and they went their separate ways.

Back at the academy, Mei and Sho walked side by side as they headed for the car. Mei was a little nervous at making a sudden request but she wanted to be at the apartment when Yuzu got there, "Father, can I return to the apartment?" Sho noticed that there was just a tiny hint of shyness in Mei's voice and was taken back a bit, "Why? I told you, you can't stay there alone." he answered apprehensively.

"About that..." Mei gathered every ounce of herself in order not to let the emotions she felt bleed through her expression, "Yuzu said she'll be coming back."

'So that's why she's so giddy,' Sho noted that Mei was in a good mood since she came walking into the cafeteria a few minutes ago, "So, she's coming back huh? Is she already there?"

Mei shook her head and replied, "No, she'll be meeting Kei for a bit before returning."

"All right, I'll stay with you until she arrives then. I have something to tell her as well."

Mei raised her eyebrow at her father's words. She knew it must be related to the reason why Yuzu suddenly disappeared somewhere without warning, her original thought was that the blonde, being the soft-hearted woman that she is, was unable to accept the way that Mei reacted to her confession at the party but it quickly became apparent that something else was afoot and the only other reason she could think of was that it was work related. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Mei asked her father about it, the man would simply swat her curiosity away as if she was a child that wouldn't see through his lie.

The ride back to the apartment was a relatively peaceful one, Sho always regretted his decision to leave Mei when he did. He thought that maybe if he didn't, then these car rides would have more conversations in them but for now, he was more than thankful to Yuzu for choosing not to hold his sins against Mei and Kei and also for getting Mei to open up to the world even if it's just a bit at a time.

Entering the parking lot under their apartment building, Sho pulled up on their usual parking spot and proceeded to exit the car. Noticing that there was a man exiting his vehicle right beside them, he thought to be a good neighbor and greet him with a casual hello but the man paid him no mind and kept fumbling about the side of the car, partially obscured by the vehicle and his surgical mask.

Thinking nothing was out of the ordinary, Sho turned his back and made sure that Mei already left the car so he could lock it. As soon as the car beeped, another muffled sound rang through the silence and Sho felt a sharp pain jolt through his body. Reaching for the left side of his stomach, he noticed that a large amount of blood was spilling out - he had been shot.

Sho's first thoughts were to apply first aid so that he wouldn't lose too much blood but he was more worried about Mei versus his own safety. Turning and stumbling backward, Sho fell to the ground with his back supported by the car. He didn't have enough strength to get back up and fight off the assailant, "Mei, run!" he struggled to get his voice out and warn Mei.

Mei was in shock, she wasn't sure what just happened but her father's panicked warning had caused her to run to his side only to stop in her tracks when she saw the masked man with a silenced gun in his hand. Mei darted her eyes between her father and the man, assessing that Sho was most likely shot in the abdomen by the way he held onto his wound.

Knowing that her father would bleed out in a matter of minutes, Mei had a choice to make. Since the man hadn't shot her yet, that would mean he wanted something from her and she could either listen to him and get him out of the way so Sho could call for help on his phone or she could risk running away and calling the police herself but that decision was made for her when the man removed his cap and mask, "You run and I blow his brains out." Amemiya cocked his gun in Sho's direction, testing Mei.

"Wait... don't. I won't run." Mei bit her lip, once again she was in Amemiya's mercy and it didn't help that her father was most likely bleeding out on the floor, "Good girl, Aihara. You were always a smart one. Why don't you accompany me on a trip somewhere then?" he motioned for her to follow him, using the gun to point her towards one of the vehicles in the parking lot.

Stepping into the car, Mei took one last look at her father who has breathing heavily and wheezing, "Mei, don't." The raven-haired girl simply looked at her father and gave him a forced smile before shutting the door and allowing Amemiya to drive off with her. Sho cursed at the winds and pushed a little harder on his wound, he couldn't lose consciousness, not until he called Yuzu.

Vision blurring, he quickly but carefully pulled out his mobile, trying not to move too much in the process. Blood, as he learned the hard way, was as slippery as oil when wet and with that came difficulty in his mobile. It didn't help that his mind and body were already going numb with pain and when he finally managed to actually press the call button, he had to wait for what seemed to be an eternity before Yuzu finally answered the call.

"Sho-ojisan? What's wro-" Sho immediately cut in, "Yuzu-chan, listen to me. Amemiya took Mei, I couldn't stop hi-," a violent cough prevented Sho from finishing his sentence, causing the blonde to be even more alarmed after realizing he was hurt on top of Mei being kidnapped. "Sho-ojisan, are you hurt?!"

"I've been shot and I'm struggling to maintain my consciousness so I need to tell you before I pass out. The car is a red Prius with the plate number xx-xx-xx. Please, save Mei." A thud came soon after, Sho was losing strength and the phone slipped out of his hand but with the amount of blood he lost plus his waning consciousness, he no longer had the drive to reach for it and decided to entrust everything to Yuzu.

"Sho-ojisan?! Where are you?!" Yuzu was screaming through her phone and Sho weakly answered, "Apartment... parking-" then the line went dead. 'Apartment? The parking lot?' "I'm going to hang up now but I'll call you an ambulance, you better not die or Mei will never forgive me!" the blonde shouted before ending the call and reporting the shooting, requesting an ambulance be sent ASAP.


	35. Side Story and Author's Notes

The Citrus cast one summer afternoon...

The bell chimed in preparation for the continuation of Yuzu's trial as the blonde sat lifelessly on the lone podium at the center of the throne room. Accusing whispers rang through the stone walls and stares of shame and disgust flooded her from all directions, there was only so much she could take and without a way to escape, she was forced to hear the constant murmurs from the noble lords and ladies present in the room.

"Yuzu-cchi," Yuzu jerked her head up at the familiar sound of her best friend's voice. Harumi wore her usual decorated armor, a representation of her position as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, "Not going well, is it?" Yuzu quipped at her friend as the latter nervously fidgetted in her place, shaking the weighted armor enough to make the dinking sound of metal scratching metal, "You're going to be found guilty." Harumi answered, placing her arm on one of the corners on the podium.

"Oh, you think so?" The blonde scoffed at her friend. That was obviously how this would go, not like she could ask for justice in a court that Himeko ruled, much less when her sole accuser managed to weasel her way into false testimonies by everyone who had a bone to pick with Yuzu.

"But when you are, you need to enter a formal plea of mercy and ask to be sent to the wall. Lady Himeko agreed to it." Harumi was less than proud of having to beg the thick-browed lady for a pardon but if that was what she had to do in order to save Yuzu's life, then she'd prostrate herself in front of everyone in the seven kingdoms a hundred times over, "She'll spare your life and allow you to join the Night's Watch."

"Amemiya was promised the same thing and we both know how that ended." Quipped Yuzu, knowing the fate that befell Mei's ex-fiance.

"Himeko is not the chairman. She'll keep her word."

"How do you know?" Yuzu's eyes were filled with worry and fear for what awaited her and that look broke Harumi's heart. She knew that the blonde would need to give her undivided trust so that this trial could end without casualty, "Do you trust me?" Harumi asked Yuzu as the judges returned to the room, Himeko at the forefront and taking all the attention with her stern glare and utter disdain for the blonde.

Yuzu gave a weak nod towards Harumi, she didn't have much of a choice at this point, "Then keep your mouth shut. No more outbursts. This will all be over soon." Harumi walked over to the side of the throne room, taking her place amongst the guards as she waited for the trial to resume, noting the grin that was plastered on Himeko's face as the girl gave a vicious look at the accused blonde.

"Crown may call its next witness." Himeko dictated and the room was filled with silence once more as people turned to see who was being called this time. Faint footsteps echoed from the throne room entrance and Yuzu became curious as to who the last witness was, turning slowly to peek. She assumed that it would be another charlatan claiming her guilt but nothing prepared her for the reality that she gazed upon.

Entering the room and taking the stand was Matsuri, her childhood friend that she hadn't seen since they got into some vague argument. Harumi herself also stared in shock and disbelief when she saw the familiar crown of pink-hair entering the room. Neither Harumi nor Yuzu knew if Matsuri would be on their side or if she had gone and turned her back on them at this point.

"State your name." Himeko asked the girl, to which she replied, "Matsuri." Then a long discussion ensued and at this point they were aware that Matsuri was testifying against the blonde, hurting Yuzu even more. Her own childhood friend was feeding her to the chihuahua named Himeko, "All I know is that she's guilty." Matsuri finally put a nail on the coffin, spiraling Yuzu out of control.

"Himeko, I wish to confess... I wish to confess."

"You wish to confess?"

"Yes, Himeko. I'm guilty... guilty, is that what you want to hear? The whispers got louder, threatening to throw the entire trial into chaos.

"So you admit you've been trying to take Mei-Mei away from me?!" Himeko flung out of the iron throne and looked straight at the blonde with anger in her eyes but the blonde met it directly with her own conviction, "No! I'm guilty of a more monstrous crime..."

Harumi and Matsuri shared the same dead, fish-eyed look on their face as the same thought crossed their mind, 'Gay... you're guilty of being completely gay...'

"I'm guilty of being in love!" proclaimed Yuzu with sheer courage and determination, "Aihara Yuzu!" Himeko was just about ready to lunge at the blonde but was interrupted by Mei appearing in the room, "What are you people doing?" she sternly looked at everyone which clearly translated her confusion at what was transpiring in the living room.

"Ah, Mei-san. Yuzu-chan was just about to proclaim her undying love fo-mfffmfff" Yuzu quickly grabbed Matsuri and firmly planted her palms on the girl's mouth to shut her up, "Nothing!" she threw a word in an attempt to hide what the pink-haired girl was about to say, "We were just re-enacting a scene from that book you seemed to read a lot... haha" Yuzu sheepishly continued.

"I see but if you have time to fool around then you had better be finished your summer homework." Yuzu pouted at Mei's strictness which made the raven-haired girl feel a little pang of guilt, "Besides... you don't really fit that character, you're more of a..." Mei trailed off trying to think of a character that matched Yuzu closer than Tyrion did, "Jaime..." she trailed off, a blush slowly emerging on her cheeks as she hurriedly walked away.

"Wait, did she just?" Harumi blinked a few times in disbelief while Matsuri had a mischevious grin on her face, "Yup. She totally did. Lucky you, Yuzu-chan."

Of course, Yuzu watched the series, though if she had to admit, she practically fell asleep through half of it and had absolutely no idea what Harumi and Matsuri were getting at.

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AN:

Taking a break from the story to upload this, partly because I found it to be a fun idea and mostly because I wanted to address the concerns that Tejot raised in the comment section:

Regarding Café au lait, it's true that it's the same cafe presented in chapter 2 and 13 and that the manager is indeed Udagawa (Yasu) but there is no difference in familiarity. Much like in the manga, Yuzu and co. are only casual or circumstantial friends with him. They talk to him when they're in the cafe but not outside of it. Meaning they aren't as close to Udagawa as they are with each other, hence why they didn't know his family background or his first name. They only call him "Manager" after all.

While I won't discuss Kyou and his motivations any further at this point, I can give a bit of information to clear up Chief Mizusawa (Matsuri's father). In the timeline I built, Kyou died 19 years ago prior to the events in this fanfic (Yuzu being 3 then and 22 now), then considering that there's a bit of an age gap between the age of Matsuri's parents and Yuzu's parents (they married early according to the manga) we can come to the conclusion that Matsuri's father was not chief yet during Kyou's murder.

With regards to a pardon deal, remember that Yuzu's goal at this point is to protect Mei and essentially make her happy. Coming from a family as influential as the Aiharas, the news would still break and because of the stigma against rich people, even if Sho had his reasons, he would still be crucified for it. Mei would, of course, be affected by this and that isn't what Yuzu wants in the least. That's why to Yuzu, this is a 'sacrifice' she's making. Letting go of her own wishes so that she can protect Mei. I'll expand on this during Mei's development later on.

Speaking of the seemingly dumb choice on Sho's part, choosing to inform Yukimura Akihiko of his awareness and then coming to meet him. It ties in with their family. Sho isn't stupid, he knew Akihiko would never touch him because it's much harder to bury an investigation on someone influential. There are other reasons why Akihiko would do this and it will be discussed in the future.

Finally, the elephant in the room, Kyou's letter to Yuzu. Originally, I wanted that letter to be given to Yuzu on her high school graduation and be the driving force behind her entering the police academy, however, thinking from a father's viewpoint, if I had just one chance to give my daughter something, I would choose for her to receive it during a more important event in her life - a wedding.

In a way, since Kyou didn't know when he would die or if he would even die, also influenced this decision. He was more likely to live all the way through her school years vs. her marriage which would've been way down the road. The letter is an 'emergency gift,' a just in case and there was a lot in there that would've painted Kyou's character and relationship with his family a bit.

Tejot mentioned that "it could have been too late for her revenge/rage," however, in the letter, Kyou explicitly mentions the following line: 'Your mom didn't keep her promise,' this alludes to the fact that Kyou trusted Ume to give the letter to Yuzu if she felt like the blonde needed to see it at any point in time but since Yuzu hadn't shown any tendencies for revenge, Ume never felt urged to do so until now.

Any point that I didn't touch on will be discussed at a later point in the story. I appreciate Tejot taking the time to point these things out as I was able to clarify some obscurities and hopefully, it would allow everyone to understand the motivations behind some of the choices I made in writing this.

Please don't be afraid to point stuff out if you notice something is amiss or doesn't make sense. I'll always try to address them as long as it doesn't compromise future plot points and I'm sure everyone else who's reading this would appreciate the clarifications which would be made by such questions and also, I would be able to work on them as I go and explain further within the context of the story.

A big thank you to everyone.

Cheers!

(つ▀¯▀)つ

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For those who don't comment. It's cool, we are birds of the same feather. *reads everything, everywhere, never leaves a comment because too shy to do so*


	36. Chapter 35: Memento Mori

Mei sat frozen in the passenger seat, right beside her was the man who shot her father without a second thought and his fate, as well as hers, hung heavy in her mind. Her only hope to escape was if she somehow got away from Amemiya once he stopped the car or try and jump off the speeding vehicle, which was probably a poor idea considering how fast her kidnapper was blazing through the freeway.

"You're probably wondering why I didn't just shoot you then and there, eh, Aihara?" Amemiya had a devilish smile on his face, he was deranged and looked like he hadn't slept in days. The eyepatch that sat on the eye that Mei previously gouged was doing nothing to help his image. Anyone who saw how he looked like now wouldn't believe he used to be a handsome and well-respected man, "No need to be so cold, Aihara. We were engaged once, remember?"

"That was business." Mei answered cooly, trying not to be too familiar with Amemiya, "Come on. Don't tell me you never had a thing for me?" Mei felt the hair on her neck stand and disgust welled in the pit of her stomach as Amemiya placed his free hand on her thigh, rubbing it. Her throat felt constricted and it became harder to breathe, then without a thought, she forcefully slapped his hand away, enraging the man.

"Tsk," He flicked his tongue in anger, then took his pistol out and pushed it against Mei's temple, "What? You think you're too good for me? Is that it? You see this?!" he removed the eyepatch from his face, revealing the horrifying sight of his eye socket. It looked like it wasn't properly treated and was butchered by what first aid the injury received, "You did this to me!" Amemiya became more violent at each passing second.

"In fact, everything that's wrong in my life is because of you!" A sharp turn caused Mei to slam her head on the window, causing it to bleed but fortunately... or unfortunately, the impact wasn't enough to knock her out. Looking out the window, she realized that Amemiya had taken her to a secluded pier near Tokyo.

"Put these on," her captor demanded as he threw a pair of handcuffs towards the girl, "What are you waiting for? Christmas?" he continued harassing her with his gun, giving Mei little choice but to do as she was told. Once the cuffs were in place, Amemiya ordered Mei to get out of the vehicle and made her walk closer towards the water.

"You know, cutting off the engagement? I would've forgiven but everything after that?" Amemiya shook his head, "No. It's all your fault that Mio ended up like that too." Mei couldn't see Amemiya's face but his voice sounded like a mix of uncontrolled anger and bloodlust, she was slowly starting to fear what he was planning on doing to her.

"I thought a looooooooot about how I'd kill you, you know? I stalked your place but it was just too secure and my face has been all over the wanted posters but even so, I dreamt and fantasized about how I would get revenge on you. Should I kill you like those girls in the news? Gouge those condescending eyes out and cut that venomous tongue off?"

Mei's blood ran cold. The danger that Amemiya presented suddenly multiplied by tenfold, there was now a very real chance that the man she's with is more than just the violent bastard that he was, "Are you saying that you committed those crimes?" she pulled every fiber of her being into calming her voice so as to not show fear. It was good that he decided to walk behind her or her act wouldn't work as cold sweat already started dripping down her face.

"Maybe? Do you want to find out?" He challenged her, "Well, not like you'll live long enough to know. You see Aihara, during the time I was thinking about you, I realized that killing you wouldn't be satisfying, you understand? You're not the type of girl to give into boorish threats on your life. Why I bet even now you're only listening to me because you're buying time and trying to find a way to escape."

"Don't even think about it, by the way, no one is going to hear you nor help you out here," he wasn't lying. Mei looked far and wide around the small pier and found no signs that anyone was there with them. Judging by the road they took, there were also very few cars passing by so running and hoping to hitch a ride would prove to be a great risk.

"Anyway, a few nights ago, I finally found the answer to my questions, 'What scares Aihara Mei?' The answer was so simple. What you feared the most was drowning in your own misery and not meeting expectations. Aihara, you're going to die tonight and you're going to die alone, miserable and a disappointment. Your grandfather will weep you not because he lost his granddaughter but because his carefully groomed third generation heir died. Once he's done with that, he'll remember you only as a disappointment."

"But don't worry. I'm not completely evil, so I'll give you a fighting chance. See, I'm going to push you into the water and watch you fight for your life while your hands are cuffed together. Who knows, you might survive, then I'll start shooting at you with the 14 bullets left in this gun and if you STILL survive that, then congratulations."

"I suggest you do the smart thing, Aihara, and just let the water take your lungs. It's less painful that way but you won't do that, would you? Hilarious how hard you try when you don't even have much of a life to save." Mei looked around, feeling a little desperate at this time. She knew that chances of her surviving this were slim to none, "Stop looking around, Aihara. No one is coming to save a cold-hearted bitch like you."

Back in Tokyo, Yuzu ran as fast as she could towards Kei. She called him as soon as she confirmed that an ambulance was en route to get Sho, hoping that he was still around and that he brought his car today. When Kei replied positively to her inquiries, Yuzu begged Kei to come and meet her nearby and help her with an emergency, "Yuzu, what happened?" he asked as the door to his car flung open and the blonde jumped inside.

"Amemiya shot Sho-ojisan and took Mei, we don't have much time. I don't think he's going to let her live. Drive towards the apartment, please." Yuzu quickly typed on her phone, calling Matsuri while Kei cursed and drove as fast as he could, "Matsuri? It's an emergency. Can you scan Mei's location?" Yuzu was different from her usual self, she had gone into a trance and was completely focused on her task.

"What happened?" Matsuri asked through the phone, "Amemiya did." the loud clacking of the keyboard proved that Matsuri had already gotten to work, "Bingo!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed as a faint bleep appeared on her screen, "Yuzu-chan, they're headed out of Tokyo."

"Where to?"

"To the east from the looks of it, give me a sec."

Yuzu bit her lip, she was feeling impatient as she waited for Matsuri to provide a more accurate location for her, 'Stay with me, Mei.' she repeated in her head over and over again until Matsuri finally returned, "They're still moving. I can give you directions but until they stop, I can't give you an exact location."

"Kei, change of plans." Yuzu informed Kei before returning to Matsuri, "All right. We're good, tell me the fastest route."

"Take the xx road and exit through the first left, then make a right near the shopping center." Kei followed the instructions but it didn't take long for them to be met with heavy traffic, "Damn it." Yuzu cursed, prompting Matsuri to ask what was happening, "Heavy traffic. Can you look for an alternate route? We can't back out the way we came."

"Shit. Okay, hold on a sec." Yuzu tapped impatiently on the armrest while waiting for Matsuri to update then but her patience didn't last very long, "Matsuri, can you go a little faster?" There was an obvious hint of anxiousness in her voice, "I'm working as fast as I can, Yuzu-chan. I need to check these routes or I might send you to a dead end. So, can you let me work?"

"Sorry," Yuzu apologized, knowing she was wrong, "I'm just feeling really anxious and agitated right now."

"Whatever, I have your route but you're gonna get some serious apprehensions from the station if you go through it, is that okay?"

"Yes, yes. They can all complain later."

"All right, take the alley on the left. I hope your ride isn't an expensive one."

Weaving through alleyways and streets, Yuzu and Kei found themselves gaining on Mei's location, of course, they ran through a couple of trash piles, metal canisters and whatever else was left in the alleys, "Damn it, Yuzu. Isn't there a less bumpy path to take?" Kei was worried about Mei but his car was also getting quite the beating from going through these 'streets.'

"No, sorry. Can we just focus on the driving? We're going through pedestrian-only lanes and we can't afford to get into an accident."

"You don't have to tell me that! It's my car and my license that's on the line here too, you know?! Why are you even the one chasing after Mei, why aren't we calling the police!?" Yuzu noticed that Kei was becoming a little flustered by what seemed to be 'illogical' actions that they were taking, chasing after Amemiya and Mei by themselves. She remembered that Kei had lost on a fair fist fight against Amemiya and that may have dampened the man's confidence in facing him again.

Knowing that, Yuzu rummaged through her bag and pulled out her detective ID, showing it to Kei, "I'm a detective with the Tokyo Police Department, I was assigned to watch over Mei by my bosses and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Sorry if I hid it from you and dragged you along but I AM the police." Kei glimpsed at her police ID and immediately returned his eyes on the road, "Fine, fine. I get it!"

"Matsuri, did you inform Goro-senpai and Harumin about the incident?"

"Two steps ahead of you, Yuzu-chan. They're already preparing to leave, ETA should be around 15-20 minutes."

"That's too long, we're up against an armed suspect here and you know I can't-" Yuzu kicked herself, she had her gun but she couldn't shoot the god damned thing, "Kei, do you know how to use a gun?" she quickly looked at her best options, "Yes, I took some training but I can't guarantee I'll be able to shoot an actual person." Honestly, even if Kei couldn't hit anything, it was still better than if the blonde used the gun so she quickly handed the pistol over, "Doesn't matter. I'm in your care."

"Yuzu-chan, they've stopped and you're a few minutes away from them. Take the first left that you see down that freeway, you should come up to a small pier. I'm getting Mei-san's signal from there but it looks like they're heading closer to the water."

'Shit, shit, shit. What's he going to do to her?' Yuzu was in utter panic, "Kei, step on it!"

Amemiya poked Mei with the barrel of his gun and urged her to continue walking towards the edge of the pier, "I guess this is goodbye, Aihara." Mei inhaled sharply, composing herself for the remainder of what would be her final moments, "You won't get away with this, Amemiya." Hidden from Mei's sight, Amemiya smirked, "I don't intend to." He whispered into her ear then kicked her off the pier and into the depths of the sea.

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Notes:

I've been wanting to write this and the next few chapters for so long. Glad to finally get here. (¯﹃¯*)


	37. Chapter 36: The One I Think Of

Song recommendation: Zero no Chouritsu by Amano Tsukiko

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Yuzu grasped tightly at her seatbelt when the car took a sudden sharp turn as they entered the pier. "Yuzu, I see them!" Kei shouted beside her, causing the blonde to look straight ahead towards two shadowy figures a couple of meters away. The car was still running at a relatively high speed but Yuzu knew she didn't have the luxury of waiting around after seeing the smaller figure get shoved closer to the end of the platform.

"Kei! I'm trusting you to back me up!" the man protested at her actions but Yuzu didn't even bother to wait for the car to come to a complete halt before she flew out of the passenger door. Stumbling but quickly regaining her balance before dashing off towards Amemiya and Mei. Within the next second, Yuzu's heart sank to the pits of her stomach as Amemiya finally pushed the raven-haired girl into the water.

"AMEMIYA!" Yuzu shouted, catching the criminal's attention.

"Oh? How did you find us? Well, no matter. I'll just kill you too." He sneered, pointing his gun directly at the blonde and firing a round which missed but grazed Yuzu's arm, "The next one is going to hit you." He smiled sadistically.

'Shit,' Yuzu grasped at her wound while she looked for something that could shelter her from the bullets, ultimately finding a few metal barrels that stood nearby. She ducked for cover as Amemiya fired another shot, missing her once more.

"You won't get to her in time, she's probably already running out of air at this point. Are you really stupid enough to waste your life for one cold-hearted, bitch?" A laugh erupted from the deranged man but she wasn't going to be deterred by the fear of death. She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes in the process, then quickly bolted from behind the barrels, discarding her safety and leaving her life in the hands of fate. All that mattered now was that she reached Mei before the girl drowned.

"Are you crazy?!" Another bullet went through the barrel of the gun. This time grazing her leg but she remained steadfast and didn't even flinch at the pain that jolted through her entire body.

"Maybe I am!" She shouted back at Amemiya, "But I am not going to let you win and you're not gonna get in my way!" she proclaimed even louder. She wasn't willing to lose Mei. Especially not after she just realized and accepted her feelings for the girl.

"I won't let you, you crazy dog!" Amemiya took his stance, prepared to fire another round at Yuzu but someone shot at him before he could pull the trigger and his attention momentarily strayed from the blonde as he searched for the origin of the bullet which almost hit him. There was a bit of panic in Amemiya now. He wasted a few bullets and now he's up against someone with a fully loaded firearm.

"Sorry for the wait, Yuzu! Leave him to me and go!" Kei shouted at a distance with the gun pointed at Amemiya. Yuzu couldn't help but mentally thank him for the save. This was exactly what she was hoping for. She knew that if Amemiya was threatened by another person's presence, one that could endanger him, then he would completely ignore her and focus on the other person, "Took you long enough! I owe you!" She shouted back at Kei before plunging into the dark waters.

"Shit, shit!" Amemiya cursed loudly, unsure of who to prioritize. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this unscathed but he never considered that someone would be able to find them before the deed was done and now his entire plan was ruined. He wasn't going to forgive these meddlers for interrupting.

"Give it up, Amemiya. I'm not going to hold back on shooting if you move." Kei warned him, Yuzu's pistol in hand and ready to shoot at the slightest movement.

"What a joke. Do you think I'm scared of dying?" Amemiya's face contorted to a smile, then with one swift movement, he pulled his gun and prepared to shoot Kei. The other man, having noticed in a fraction of a second, fired a shot towards Amemiya as well; both collapsing as a bullet passed through their body.

Mei continuously struggled to free herself from the cuffs as she sank deeper into the depths of the water. She hoped that she could somehow break free before she ran out of oxygen but, sadly, it was quickly becoming apparent that she was doomed. No matter how much she tugged and pulled on her bindings, she couldn't rid herself of them and the seconds ticked by taking her lucidity with it.

'How did it come to this?' she asked herself, thinking back on everything that happened in her life up 'til this point. It was laughable because all of her memories contained mostly school, work, talks of inheritance and responsibilities. What little happy memories she did have had long disappeared into the obscurity of time; too long ago to even be remembered vividly.

Ah, but there was also that girl who kept chasing after her. Always uninvitedly saving her, scolding her, watching over her with warmth. There were a few times when she wanted to chase after the blonde when the latter would leave and once she gave in to the desire... was that selfish of her? To want something despite choosing to live this abstained existence she called life.

She didn't know what to think anymore. Her consciousness started fading as the oxygen in her lungs slowly depleted and in that moment of weakness, she remembered something she read a long time ago: The person you think about in your final moments, is the one who matters to you the most. Mei didn't even know where that passage came from but if that was true, then she guessed that the blonde meant more to her than she would ever admit... not that it mattered anymore.

'I suppose this is the end,' Mei closed her eyes, bracing herself for the eventuality that was her death. Amemiya's words toyed with her, 'No one is coming for a cold-hearted bitch like you,' those words remained imprinted in her memory, repeating endlessly.

'Perhaps.. but even if just once more-' bitterness overtook her. She didn't really want it to end like this and her eyes stung with pain but whether that pain was due to the salt from the water or her own eyes, she couldn't tell.

She thought about it. If there really was a God and she begged enough, would she be given a second a chance? Would she even change if she was given one? probably not but still- even still...

* * *

 _I want to see you._

* * *

Those words bled from every fiber of her being. Melding the sadness and the desperation together as she lost all self-control and allowed the thought to drown her mind. 'I want to see you even if just one more time.' As if 'God' heard her prayers and decided to comfort her in these last moments, a soft touch ran through her fingers. It was comforting and she let herself go - accepting her fate... but the phantom touch didn't disappear, it became stronger and tugged at her hand forcing Mei to fling her eyes open.

* * *

Yuzu.

* * *

There she was, in all her splendid glory, locks of blonde hair dancing in the water and the familiar emerald eyes staring intently back at her. It was definitely Yuzu and Mei couldn't tell if her brain was so deprived of air that she was now hallucinating or this was really happening. The blonde tugged on her a little harder, pulling her up closer to the surface and looking back as if to say 'Hang in there.'

Mei couldn't explain what she felt, it was like a mixture of relief and elation. Her heart pounded like a drum inside of her chest and finally, her body started coming to a realization that she was still alive as time returned to her; lungs begging to release the breath she had been holding for so long. Her eyes widened as she gawked at her blonde savior, trusting her entirety to the girl as her mind faded to black.

When Yuzu finally pulled Mei out of the water, she realized that the girl had already fainted and immediately lay Mei flat on her back in an attempt to listen for any form of breathing or a faint heartbeat- anything that would confirm that the raven-haired girl was still alive but she couldn't find any. The cold light from the moon didn't help her composure either, having amplified the paleness of Mei's skin to a deathly blue.

"Come on, Mei. Don't do this to me," she waited a few more seconds, but not a single beat pulsed through Mei and she knew what she had to do, "Excuse me." She leaned in on Mei's lips, giving the girl a few rescue breaths before starting on chest compressions.

"Come on, Mei. You can't go like this... please," Yuzu did her best to retain what little sanity was left while tears started running down her cheeks as she counted.

"There's still something I want to tell you, so please... breathe!" 50, 51, 52... and then a cough sounded from the girl which lit Yuzu like a lone candle in the forest, "MEI!" she shouted at the girl who continued coughing in an attempt to expel the water from her lungs.

"Hey! They're over here!" Harumi's voice erupted nearby, alerting the paramedics to Yuzu's and Mei's location. "Yuzu-cchi! Prez!" she ran towards them, trying to assess the situation.

"I'm fine. Focus on her, she was in the water for a few minutes."

The paramedics arrived and tried to treat Mei but the girl violently pulled her arm away as if to forbid them from touching her and like a child searching for protection, she clung to Yuzu's shirt, still gasping for air.

"Hey Mei," Yuzu's voice was soft and gentle, wrapping her arms around the raven-haired girl. "It's okay, You're safe now. They're just here to help, all right?" she stroked Mei's head, trying to comfort the girl and get her to warm up to the paramedics though Mei was being a little too adamant on not wanting to part with Yuzu. Unfortunately for the raven-haired girl, her body had already reached its limit and could no longer hold her consciousness, collapsing into Yuzu's arms.

When the paramedics finally got ahold of Mei, they quickly got to work and checked her vitals, relieving the blonde when they informed her that the raven-haired girl was fine but still needed a more thorough examination back at the hospital. Yuzu agreed and Mei was soon loaded into an ambulance and driven off.

"Is it fine to send her without a police escort?" Yuzu questioned Harumi who was now offering her hand to the blonde in an attempt to get her up from the floor.

"Yes, Amemiya won't be going after her anymore." Harumi answered with a smile on her face which made the Yuzu remember that she brought Kei along with her, "OH, WAIT! Where's Kei?"

"En route to the hospital. Gunshot wound to the shoulder but he'll live. He really did a number on Amemiya though, two shots straight through the chest, collapsed lung and all that. He wouldn't have survived long enough for us to get here but also wouldn't die instantly. Dunno if he's a good shot or a terrible one but that must've been pretty agonizing."

Goro was already supervising the rest of the police force and collecting whatever evidence they could find on Amemiya, which wasn't much aside from his actual DNA which they needed for comparison. Other than that, there was the suspect's mobile phone, the gun, plus the car he used. "Good work, Okogi," he greeted as the two approached him.

"Get those wounds checked. We'll talk later." Yuzu immediately agreed to Goro's order. It wasn't like she had any strength to spare in helping out at this point. All the adrenaline that coursed through her body a few minutes ago had long disappeared, leaving her weakened in its wake.

It would take some time to match the DNA samples and finalize the details of the case but at least now Yuzu was confident in Mei's safety even if that meant Amemiya's death. She allowed herself a brief moment of rest as she and Harumi sat at the back of an ambulance.

"How's Sho-ojisan?"

"He's in surgery the last I heard. He lost a lot of blood but the doctors said that chances of him surviving are pretty high since no major internal organ was damaged. The bullet went through his stomach though, so an infection might occur and that's what they're looking out for." Harumi explained how the bullet passed through Sho's abdomen by using her hand to reenact the trajectory of the bullet.

"Thank god," Yuzu sighed as she got up from her comfortable spot.

"Where are you going, Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi asked, a little surprised that the blonde had any life left in her after the whole ordeal that night.

"To Mei, of course!" She smiled at her best friend.

* * *

Notes:

Looks like I've been adding too many commas. Took a while for me to get what Guest meant. Haha. I'll try to be a bit more careful from now on. No promises though as this is practically the only way I know how to punctuate... ⊙﹏⊙

I am not willing to write longer chapters because I am not willing to proofread longer pieces (Yes, I do proofread... lazily). I even bug a friend of mine to do it for me occasionally because that's how much I hate doing it.

* * *

Man, oh man! I have been drooling over that scene in the water where Mei accepts her fate only to have Yuzu appear at just the right moment to pull her out of it. asdfn;asdf. I could just picture Amano Tsukiko singing as soon as Yuzu jumped out of the car and towards the water despite the dangers, getting into the water during the pre-chorus and Mei saying "Yuzu" as soon as the chorus starts.

I know the sea gets dark at night but whatever. Let me have my piece of fantasy.

I'm fangasming too hard. Send help.


	38. Chapter 37: The Love That I Offer You

Music recommendation: Sen No Yoru Wo Koete by Aqua Timez

* * *

"Hello," the blonde bobbed her head while trying to call the nurse's attention from behind the table, "I'm Okogi Yuzu. Can I have the room number for a patient named Aihara Mei?" She asked politely.

"I'm sorry but can you provide any identification? I can't legally give out information unless you're related."

"Here." Yuzu handed her police ID to the nurse. She knew it was standard procedure and that her ID would get her into any hospital room she wanted which made her feel a little guilty at the abuse of power she was currently partaking in.

"Okay. Everything seems to be in order. Aihara Mei is in room 320, please make sure to leave before visiting hours end." The nurse courteously reminded her but Yuzu felt just a little on the dark side today and figured it couldn't hurt to abuse her authority just a bit more.

"Actually, I'm her escort. So, I kinda need to watch her until she wakes up." She lied.

"I see, go right ahead then."

Yuzu made her way up to the third floor. She felt her nerves crashing down at the thought of seeing Mei after everything that happened but at the same time, she wanted to be there when the raven-haired girl woke up. The incident with the paramedics gave Yuzu the idea that Mei would not want to wake up in an empty room. Then again it may have been delirium brought on by the deprivation of oxygen so she might be making unnecessary assumptions.

The blonde took a few deep breaths and tried to instill courage in herself when she arrived in front of Mei's room. Placing her hand on the knob, she gently twisted it and pushed the door in then tiptoed inside the room hoping to not disturb the occupant's slumber. Yuzu silently approached the bed with a stool in hand and sat on it so she could be right beside the sleeping beauty with a frown on her face.

"Looks like you're having a bad dream again." She muttered towards Mei who was stirred in bed. "I'm here," she continued as she brushed her hand against Mei's and gently wrapped her finger's around the other girl's hand. To her surprise, Mei returned the gesture and squeezed back, "Yuzu?" the girl called out to her. Amethyst eyes appearing from behind tired eyelids as the moon illuminated the contours of her face.

"Mei, you're up!" She smiled at her and realized that she was still holding Mei's hand and in embarrassment, tried to quickly retract hers but Mei grasped tightly, forbidding her from doing so.

"What happened?" Mei asked.

"How much do you remember?" Yuzu answered with a question. She was trying to know the extent of Mei's recollection. After all, it wasn't uncommon for victims to lose pieces of their memory.

Mei started narrating her account of the incident. Starting from the parking lot, she remembered how badly Sho had been bleeding and the blonde informed her that he was still in surgery but was given a pretty high survival chance by the surgeons. Mei felt eternally grateful to the blonde for quickly responding to Sho's call and practically saving his life.

Continuing the conversation, Mei spoke about the car ride to the pier and Yuzu noticed that the raven-haired girl had unconsciously started gripping a little tighter at her hand as she touched upon the subject of Amemiya pushing her into the water. Mei couldn't remember the thoughts that ran through her mind while she sunk to the bottom of the sea.

She could clearly remember how she felt in the darkness as her brain starved from oxygen. Fear, she was afraid, not of dying but of being unable to see Yuzu again. Then it came flooding back to her; the memory of Yuzu appearing in front of her, like an angel while enveloped in black, her hand gently touching Mei's and bringing back to the surface. Reviving her.

The thoughts made Mei's cheeks flush with embarrassment. She legitimately thought at one point that she had died and an angel bearing the blonde's face had come down from heaven to fetch her wandering soul, though whether it was heaven or hell that she was going to was still completely up for debate.

"Mei? Are you okay? You look a bit flushed. I should call the nurse." It was dark but the redness of Mei's face didn't escape Yuzu's watchful eyes and she proceeded to get up only to be pulled back down by Mei.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." The girl protested and Yuzu took a hint that Mei did not want her leaving the room yet.

"Mei you'll be safe now. Amemiya won't be coming after you anymore." She smiled softly at the raven-haired girl who was acting a little childish. Mei gave her a questioning look and Yuzu realized that she should probably tell her the conclusion of the kidnapping, "He's dead." she continued.

Mei's eyes widened at the revelation. She didn't expect Yuzu to have the guts to shoot a man but the blonde quickly dismissed that trail of thought, "It wasn't me. It was Kei, you should thank him once you're up and about. Your brother loves you too, you know?" She grinned at the girl. Kei might've complained about his car getting wrecked but he still pulled through in the end. Placing his own life on the line to stop Amemiya.

"Is he okay?" Mei's voice was a little nervous this time and Yuzu thought that she was probably feeling guilty at placing her father and brother at the forefront of danger.

"He's fine. He got shot but nothing bad. I mean, now he can brag to girls about it... but it's not like he needs to with those genes." The blonde tried to joke around and lift the mood but it didn't seem to work in the least bit so she gave up on that and decided to move on to a more important topic. "Mei, we're still waiting for the official results but Goro-senpai said that the chances of Amemiya having committed the murder of Homura Mio and the Doll Maker serial killings is highly plausible so... if the conclusion comes back as positive then I wouldn't be attending the academy anymore.

"You're leaving?"

"Sort of... I guess. I mean-" Her voice got caught in her throat, it was now or never. She wanted to confess her feelings. She told herself that she would do it as soon as she saw Mei and not even these gigantic bumps on the road was going to stop her, "Actually, Mei. There's something I've been meaning to tell you and you might not like it but I just want to get it out of my chest... so please, listen."

"I've been feeling really off lately and I don't really know how this started but at some point... I could only consider you. Everything I thought about revolved around you and you became my sole motivation. At first, I thought it was just normal curiosity. You seemed to have a lot of bad things happen in your life and I wanted to lift your burden a little."

"I'm not a stray to be pitied and picked-up, Yuzu." Mei's voice returned to its monotone and Yuzu realized that she goofed with what she had just said but Amemiya's bullets didn't stop her so why should this little misunderstanding be allowed to?

"That's not what I meant. It's like I said, I want you to see that there are better things in life. I want you to enjoy life but I also want to be right beside you when you finally smile at thinking about tomorrow. I want to be there when you break out of your shell and erase that expression from your face, the one you always hide your true feelings with." Yuzu's voice was soft and mellow.

"What are you on about?" Mei interjected, fully prepared to deny the allegations pointed at her.

"Don't lie, Mei. I know that you get hurt, sad, lonely, disappointed and just like everyone else you also feel happy, excited and embarrassed but I will never understand why you hide it behind that indifferent expression. Are you afraid of showing your true feelings because you might get hurt or because other people will look down on you?"

"That's not-" Mei tried to deny everything but her emotions just went rampant and out of control, "What do you know? Someone who lives her life based on her instincts? Throwing yourself at danger over and over again without regard for your own safety like an idiot. Even now you-" Mei eyed the bandages on Yuzu's arm with guilt, she knew that the blonde's injuries were inflicted by Amemiya.

"Because it's you, Mei!" Yuzu shouted, full of determination. "I mean, sure. Maybe I don't think things through and I go by my instincts a lot but no matter what I didn't want to lose you to anything!"

Those words were like an arrow straight to Mei's heart. She felt her heart rate elevating with every syllable that passed through the blonde's mouth but she couldn't allow herself to be swept by unstable emotions and she tried as hard as she could to regain composure and calm her beating heart.

"Mei, if you're afraid then I'll be right here for you and if you can't cry then I'll cry those tears for you. I might not be as strong as you but I'll always support you and I'll also be here to laugh with you." Yuzu took a deep breath as she tried to gather the courage to get the pull the words out of her throat.

"Honestly, I'm scared. This is terrifying but I said to myself that I wouldn't run from these emotions anymore and so even if you turn me down and I crash and burn, Mei. I need to tell you." She pulled her hand away from Mei's grip with a smile on her face and proceeded to pull out something from the inside of her shirt.

Mei eyed the chain that shone with the light from the moon as Yuzu unclasped the lock on it and revealed what it had been holding as a pendant. It was a ring and she couldn't quite make out the entire design but there was a large gem sitting on top of it. Despite the amount of time that they had been together, Mei never saw this ring on Yuzu's finger, not even once and she gave the blonde a confused look.

Yuzu held the ring firmly between her thumb and index finger and proceeded to speak, "Mei, I thought of backing out from doing this because I felt overwhelmed by the idea of finding out whether you felt the same way as I did. I thought to myself 'what if she rejects me?' and we can't be friends anymore because of my selfishness but when I thought I was going to lose you, I realized that it didn't matter."

"This ring is an heirloom from my father and it's my most important possession in the world but I want you to have it because... you're the most important person in my world. Yuzu looked at Mei and noticed that the girl had the same expression as she did during the party when Yuzu confessed to liking her but this time Yuzu gulped down the fear and stitched the words in her mind.

"I love you." She finally said it.

"Will you accept it?" The words were still ringing in Mei's head. How many times has she been confessed to throughout her life? All those times she felt nothing and quickly turned them down without a second thought but the blonde who was sincerely looking at _her_ right now was different. Mei tried to refuse, she had to refuse, this would never be allowed... a relationship like this. Her grandfather would never accept it and yet, why couldn't she do it?

It's easy, just say 'no' and it would be over with. She could even gently turn the blonde down and apologize. That was the most logical thing to do but she quickly found herself reaching out to Yuzu. The desire of wanting to see the blonde when she thought her life was ending, were those her real feelings or something brought on by desperation and fear?

Mei didn't know anymore and before she realized what she was doing, she had toppled over the blonde and the two of them had fallen on the floor with Mei on top. She cupped the blonde's face with both of her hands and slowly leaned in, gently brushing her lips against the blonde's which the latter gladly accepted. The kiss was different from their first one, it was passionate and wanting. The mood was also different from the Ferris Wheel, they were calm despite the heavy beating of their hearts and when they finally parted both gasped and filled their lungs with air.

Yuzu lost all of her strength and lay flat on the floor with a wide grin on her face while she panted. Mei was doing the same, staring down at the blonde that she was still straddling but her face was nowhere near as full of life as Yuzu's was and the only thing visible was the deep crimson that painted her cheeks.

"So... I guess that means you like me too?" Yuzu asked shyly.

Mei stammered and thought about what to say, "We should try dating first." She settled for a vague answer, too afraid to admit the extent of her emotions this early.

"Geez, can't you just be honest?" Yuzu sat up and gave Mei the tightest hug she could muster before pulling away and asking for Mei's hand which the raven-haired girl hesitated to give but ultimately extended. Yuzu smiled and placed the ring around Mei's left ring finger and tears rolled down the girl's cheeks making Yuzu panic a little.

"M-Mei? Does it hu-"

"Of course it doesn't hurt." She quickly interjected before Yuzu could say something stupid, "I don't know why." She felt happy and content but at the same time, afraid and unsure of herself. It was the first time she decided on something based solely on her emotions and the freedom of having chosen her desire terrified her like a bird leaving its mother's nest for the first time.

Yuzu couldn't help herself and decided to steal one more kiss from her lover. Mei didn't fight it but she didn't allow Yuzu too much liberty either, quickly pulling away to ask a question, "How do you know?"

The blonde pondered on the question, unsure of what it meant but quickly realized Mei's thoughts, "Love you?" she asked and Mei nodded in reply. "Because when I'm with you I feel whole and without you, I feel empty. The thought of losing you scared me more than dying." Yuzu couldn't resist the urge to hug the girl after she remembered she had almost lost her just a few hours ago.

"So then, why do you?"

"Mei, saying 'Love' isn't that hard... you don't have to avoid it like the plague." Yuzu spoke without thinking again, earning the raven-haired girl's glare and she quickly tried to salvage the situation by answering, "Do I really need a reason to love someone? I never felt like it's a logical process so I don't know if there's an answer to that question. What I do know is that I want to be with you."

"I see..." Mei allowed herself to melt in Yuzu's embrace. She felt like if it was the blonde, then she'd be allowed to honestly love her.

"I was wondering all this time, how did you find me?"

"Ah, well... because I love you and I'll always know where you are!" Yuzu wanted to say something romantic like the lyrics of a song or a cheesily written line from a shoujo manga. Words she previously wanted to hear from someone else but now she found herself being the one to say them and had no qualms about it.

"Wah, Yuzu-chan. What a liar." Matsuri entered the room catching the lovers in each other's arms as Yuzu scrambled to straighten herself and Mei elegantly got up as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Yuzu-chan asked me for a tracker especially for you, Mei-san. She even asked me to hide it inside a bear strap so you wouldn't know. How scary." Matsuri revealed the real purpose of the strap that came with the phone Yuzu had given her and the blonde was just dying of embarrassment at having her lie exposed. The pink-haired couldn't help but smile when she realized that Yuzu was back to her normal self and while she may not like Mei, she was thankful that her presence 'healed' the blonde. 'If it's like this then I might just forgive you, Mei-san.'

* * *

Notes:

Hello everyone, thanks for sticking out this far in the story. I guess a lot of you have the assumption that Amemiya is not Doll Maker and there will be a continuation of the story and I'm sorry to disappoint you but that is exactly correct. You can think of this as something like the end of season 1 or something along those lines.

There's still a lot of things to be answered but for those who are wondering exactly how Matsuri was able to track Mei, it wasn't because of the phone itself. A few chapters ago, when Yuzu bought the matching phones, she asked Matsuri to get a strap for her and that strap is actually bugged with a tracker so she could easily find Mei when she needed to... like the stalker that she is.

A lot of the things that have been asked will also be answered in the second half which will be a little heavier on the subject matter. I'll be touching a little deeper on the Kyou's case, Udagawa, and Mei's development on the latter half.

Cheers everyone!

PS. I will be taking a short break so I can sort out a few details of the second half. I'll be returning on the weekend so please don't check for updates until then.


	39. Chapter 38: A Doubtful Victory

The blonde's entire week has been nothing but hectic. Everything from finding the truth about her father's death to finally putting an end to Amemiya's plot happened in such a short timespan and that's not even touching the subject of how much trouble she got in a day after the incident.

It turns out that Matsuri didn't come to the hospital just to know how they were doing, it was far from a social call. The reality of it was that Yuzu got herself into very deep trouble and Matsuri wanted to warn her childhood friend beforehand so she knew what to expect when they finally called her back to the station for a detailed report.

The chief was extremely unhappy with how Mei's case was handled and he knew exactly who to reprimand - Yuzu. He found out that the blonde was MIA when the entire incident happened and had been continuously leaving the raven-haired girl at crucial moments which included both incidents that involved Amemiya. Suffice to say, he wasn't wrong and Yuzu could say nothing in her defense.

That was also just the beginning of her worries as she was soon slapped with a multitude of other violations which included bringing a civilian to a high-class police case and getting the said civilian injured, using pedestrian roads when they chased after Amemiya and a bunch of minor issues which included her failure to identify a possible hole in the protection detail - the parking lot.

"What's wrong, Yuzu?" Mei asked when the blonde let out a loud sigh.

Her mind instantly cleared out all of her woes at the sound of Mei's voice. Nothing changes the fact that she failed pretty badly but seeing the girl who was sitting beside her right now and knowing that she successfully conveyed her feelings to the raven-haired girl was more than what she could've ever wished for. If all of her shortcomings, stupidity and bad luck were the compensation for being here at this moment, then she'd pay the price twice over and never regret it.

Over the past few days, the two have been constantly at each other's side and even though they didn't do any of the things that lovers did there was still a sense of unspoken affection between them. Sadly, Yuzu would receive the results of the DNA comparison by tomorrow and when that happens she'll definitely be pulled out of the academy.

The thought was enough to make her grimace in disappointment. She didn't like the idea of being away from Mei and it wasn't just because she worried about the girl's safety. It's that feeling of wanting to spend every waking second with the one that you love and even though she knew that her wish was childish, she couldn't help it.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something." She answered.

Yuzu shifted on the sofa so she could get a good look at Mei but her eyes focused on the amethyst which stood out against the dark green book which Mei held in her hands. It may have been an awful week and she might've gotten nagged to hell and back but seeing her ring on Mei's finger was more than enough reason to keep her smiling through everything.

"You sighed." Mei said.

"It's just 'cause I might be leaving the academy and I'm sad I won't be having lunch with you anymore." She admitted in part.

"I see. The academy is too far from the station, isn't it?"

"Yeah... about a 20-minute walk maybe? I mean, I could run and it would be a bit faster but I don't think you'd appreciate having to wait for me and-"

"Then how about we occasionally meet half-way for lunch?"

"I'll only be able to stay for 20 minutes tops and- wait, did you just say meet half-way?"

Yuzu was felt stupid. She had been speaking so much that she completely talked over what Mei said and now she wasn't even sure if she heard it right.

"Never mind."

"But Mei!"

The blonde pounced on Mei and latched her beautifully painted nails on the raven-haired girl's sweater making the latter groan in annoyance while she attempted to push Yuzu away. Mei always seemed so distant in the way that she spoke and whenever that rare show of kindness came from the girl, she would often take it back just as quickly as she gave it and Yuzu could never get used it.

"Stop it." Mei said as she pushed the blonde.

"But!" Yuzu whined.

"Can you please behave? I have something to ask you."

Yuzu stopped her childish antics after hearing Mei's tone and she moved away from the raven-haired girl. She shifted and tucked her legs under herself while gripping at her knees and nervously waiting for what Mei's question. She hoped that it wouldn't be something too difficult to answer or that it wasn't anything too serious.

"It's about this." Mei lifted her left hand up, showing the ring to Yuzu and using her thumb to push the accessory around as if to emphasize what she meant, "What exactly does this mean?"

"Eh?"

Wide-eyed and confused perfectly described the look on Yuzu's face when she heard it. If she was being honest, giving the ring was sort of a spur of the moment and she wondered if Mei was asking if it had any deeper significance such as... well, marriage. That would be fast, too damn fast. Not that Yuzu would mind but it would be a lie to say that marriage was her intention.

"It's a promise ring." She answered honestly but Mei's raised eyebrow was demanding for further explanation.

"Uh- how do I say this? er, because you seem to always get in trouble when you're alone so.."

Yuzu's eyes have been darting around the entire living room in hopes of finding something else to look at while she said the embarrassing thoughts in her mind. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep her peripheral vision from seeing Mei's apprehensive look, which she assumed was brought on by the latter part of her sentence.

The deathly glare which Mei planted firmly on Yuzu was causing the blonde to tear up in fear and she couldn't continue speaking unless she somehow hid the raven-haired girl from her view. Yuzu thought about possibly turning around or hiding her face with a pillow but she was scared that it would make Mei even scarier than she already was and so the only viable option left was to look down and stare at her own hands.

"What I'm trying to say is - Mei, you're very important to me and that ring is my most important possession. If you ever disappeared again... I would definitely find you because wherever you are is where my everything is."

Mei looked down on the ring which fit so perfectly as if it was made specifically for her finger. She never thought she would ever wear a ring outside of marriage and much less of her own accord and despite how cold and uncaring she appeared on the outside, there wasn't a day where she removed Yuzu's ring since receiving it.

Moving her gaze from the ring and towards the blonde who sat nervously beside her, Mei noticed that the girl was still doing her best to keep her eyes closed. The raven-haired girl couldn't help herself. It was rare but ever so often the blonde would spout some nonsense gibberish that would make her heart beat a little faster and at this moment she was feeling particularly affectionate.

Mei glided across the sofa carefully so that she didn't alert Yuzu on what she was doing. When she was close enough, she made sure to leave a light yet audible peck on the blonde's cheek which quickly reduced the girl to a stuttering mess.

"Well, I'll be heading off to bed then. Good night."

Mei quickly got up from her seat, took her book and ignored every protest, comment or question the blonde threw at her. She entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her before plopping on the bed and holding the book above her heart. It was instinctive, she felt like her heart was beating so much that if she didn't cover it up, the sound would be loud enough to be audible through the door.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, Mei didn't know how to handle the foreign feeling which Yuzu brought her. She didn't even understand the entirety of it and all she knew was that she didn't like the idea of not having the blonde around nor the thought of not being able to see her again, not to mention seeing the blonde being affectionate with someone else, like Matsuri.

She wanted Yuzu and she didn't care enough to deny that in her mind though she wouldn't be caught dead saying it out loud. But at the back of her head, there was a gnawing feeling. A sort of guilt towards yearning for something and wanting it when you have nothing to give back. She wanted to be with Yuzu but she didn't know for how long she would be allowed to do so and that crippled her.

In agony, she grabbed the cover of her bed and hid in it before muttering a vented mixture of frustration and confusion, "Just what am I doing?"

Back at the station, Matsuri was still hard at work despite the late hour and she grumbled about how Yuzu would be going all lovey-dovey with Mei while she was stuck trying to track and reconstruct everything that was on Amemiya's cellphone.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Amemiya was smart enough to delete all the information including call logs and texts before kidnapping Mei. It didn't help that the cell was a burner and so there was no way for Matsuri to even contact anyone and get the precious information which she so badly needed.

The conclusion of the case was such: First, Amemiya is dead. Second, they finally got his DNA. Third, Hibiki already confirmed that the hair sample from the last Doll Maker victim was a match for Amemiya's hair color and the hair pattern. With all that evidence, you'd think that they wouldn't bother with trying to get information from his cellphone and yet here she was burning the midnight oil without a single soul to accompany her.

It would be entirely wrong to assume that Matsuri was diligent enough to listen to orders. The truth was that she wouldn't even bother doing this if it was simply an order from above but because Yuzu was also interested in the information that the device once held, she couldn't help but give it her all.

Matsuri, Harumi and Yuzu met on the day that the blonde was reprimanded for her failings and while the blonde looked dejected from the scolding, there was something else that was more troubling brewing in the girl's mind - she still didn't believe that Amemiya was Doll Maker. That line of thought became even more dangerous when the blonde practically sneered at the fact that the hair samples matched.

In Yuzu's argument, she stated that it would've been easy for anyone to find a sample of Amemiya's hair. The culprit would only have to know where Homura Mio lived and they would've easily broken in and stolen a few hair strands from the house. Whoever it was, was either smart enough to know that loose hair typically didn't have their roots intact and would, therefore, be unusable in DNA testing or amateurish enough to not know that fact. Not that it mattered.

the pink-haired girl was worried that Yuzu was getting herself into even more trouble than she already was but she also couldn't help but wonder how everything just conveniently fell onto their lap. Not to mention the intention of the person who left the tape on her desk. There were definitely questions and a lot of them but if, _IF_ , the DNA comparison between the Doll Maker victims and Amemiya's DNA matched, then there shouldn't be any more lingering doubts.

Still, the police weren't doing an amazing job at investigating the incidents since they still haven't found where Mio was held captive and that only made Matsuri worry even more that Yuzu would quickly sink down the rabbit hole in search for answers. All she could do for now was to help in any way she could and should the need arise, stop the blonde from doing something stupid.

* * *

Notes:

All right, here we go. Second half!


	40. Chapter 39: Curiosity and Distrust

The station looked even bleaker than Yuzu remembered. The detectives in their plain shirts and the patrolmen who all wore the same thing, nothing changed since the last time she was here... except for that one broken coffeemaker which seemed to have been thrown out in place of a brand-new shiny one.

A few months gone and it was a relief that she could still remember which corners to take and which ones to cut on her way to the briefing room. It was going to be a large crowd today and she wanted to arrive early before the entire room was filled with policemen who were eager to know whether their resident serial killer has been caught or not.

Everyone would be absolutely thrilled at calling Amemiya the Doll Maker and shutting the whole case down but Yuzu wouldn't be satisfied at all. She wasn't convinced that Amemiya was Doll Maker. He was too hotblooded. Doll Maker wouldn't risk his position twice over just for some petty revenge over something that happened so long ago. The question now is how is she going to prove it if the DNA matches? Why would the DNA even match?

"All right, everyone. Settle down. We'll begin shortly." The chief was already commanding the room.

Yuzu headed for the farthest seat at the back of the briefing room, she wanted to be as far from any eavesdroppers in case she blurted something out. On her way to the back, she noticed that there were already a few heads in attendance which included Goro, obviously and another not so obvious choice, Kurosawa. The man looked like he was about to fall asleep at any second.

The whispers grew louder as the room started filling with people, all hopeful at today's news. On the other hand, Yuzu already knew the results. It wasn't an actual confirmation but the fact that she and Harumi had been called to attend the meeting meant it was as good as saying her days in the academy was over and that could only mean one thing - the results matched.

"So, Yuzu-cchi. You know what this means, right?" Harumi asked.

"Yep. I'm still not convinced though, Harumin."

"There's no way Hibiki would make a mistake like that though."

Harumi was right, there was no way Hibiki would make a mistake and that was doubly true for such a high profile case. But then how exactly did this happen? Is she just overthinking the entire thing? Or was there something bigger going on here?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll begin now." The chief finally began the meeting and Yuzu was forced to abandon her thoughts as his voice sounded through her ears.

"As you all know, Aihara Mei was kidnapped some time ago and the perpetrator, a man called Amemiya Hideki, was shot and killed during the incident. While we had to deal with the shame of having allowed that event to take place-"

The chief glared at Yuzu's direction and a couple of murmurs erupted, most of which were quick to apprehend her for the rookie mistake of leaving her detail and failing at her duty. The blonde gulped down, she was genuinely terrified at how angry the chief was with her. Not that she didn't deserve the said anger.

"It wasn't without merit. We found a single strand of hair at the last Doll Maker murder and while that strand couldn't be used in DNA testing, we were still able to use a hair comparison test once we had Amemiya's hair and that came back as a match. We've also compared the DNA obtained from the previous Doll Maker victims and also got a match. Congratulations, everyone. We got our guy."

Cheers were shouted from every corner of the room, all except 3 people. Harumi, Yuzu, and Kurosawa. The latter two didn't cheer because they had their doubts and those doubts cast suspicion on why Kurosawa wasn't joining the rest of the detectives in their merrymaking. Of course, he could just be uninterested like he usually is but Yuzu wasn't in the mood to assume the good in everyone and she was sure to keep Kurosawa in mind.

"There's one more thing. Regarding the case of Homura Mio, the blood found under her fingernail also matched Amemiya's profile. So, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have a party tonight. We've closed a kidnapping, a murder and a serial case all in the same week. I want to congratulate everyone who worked on this case. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." The chief bowed in respect.

When the chief was done, people started leaving the room and Yuzu didn't know what to do with herself. The feeling of having missed something just wouldn't go away and she didn't know how to deal with it. Deciding that she could at least try to pry a bit further, Yuzu and Harumi headed down to the morgue where she was likely to find the corpse lover named Hibiki.

On a normal day, the blonde wouldn't even think of pressing the elevator button that went all the way down to the basement but today she'll make an exemption. Hibiki might be insulted by the questions she had in her mind but Yuzu decided that this would be the best way to go about her doubts and maybe Hibiki could even clear them for her.

Arriving at the basement, there was a certain chill that shot through her back despite the relatively warm clothes she wore. Just thinking about the number of corpses here scared Yuzu and even Harumi's presence wasn't helping in that regard.

"Harumin, this is kinda creepy."

"Jeez, Yuzu-cchi. You're not a kid, you know? You didn't even flinch when you saw Amemiya dead."

"Freshly dead and frozen dead are different things, Harumin! Freshly dead can't reanimate so fast."

"And who told you that, huh?" A voice came from behind one of the steel lockers, causing Yuzu to let out a high-pitch scream of fear while she latched onto Harumi for protection.

"Hibiki-san?" Harumi asked.

"Jesus Christ, Okogi. How can you be this much of a coward?" Hibiki laughed.

"That was mean!" Yuzu chided, still clinging to Harumi.

"So, what brings you lovely detectives down here? Don't tell me the chief is punishing this blonde by making her come down here?"

"That's not it!" Yuzu screamed back.

"Oh, 'that so? Then what is it?"

"I wanted to ask you something about Amemiya. Is there a chance that the results were a false-positive?"

"No, that's not possible. I've checked more than twice already because I couldn't believe it myself but there's definitely no mistakes here."

"I see..."

Yuzu felt down, she didn't doubt Hibiki's abilities and there was definitely nothing there if the older woman said so.

"There was something weird about the blood under Homura Mio's nails though. I'm not sure how to explain it to you two but the blood from her nails had components that made it seem like it's been diluted. Of course, there might be various reasons for that to happen, like medication. I did mention this to Kurosawa though so I thought you'd know." Hibiki looked confused at Yuzu's lack of knowledge in the matter.

"Why did you inform Kurosawa instead of Goro-senpai?" Harumi asked.

"He was assigned as the lead for that case. I couldn't overstep his authority and pass it to Goro."

"He's such a lazy old goat though... What do you think, Yuzu-cchi? Should we tell Goro-senpai?"

"Yeah... that might be a good idea. Thanks, Hibiki-san and could you keep this between us for now?"

"Sure thing. Just don't get yourself into trouble, 'ya hear?

"I'll keep her out, don't worry!" Harumi exclaimed and the three laughed before parting ways.

Heading back up to the ground floor, Harumi and Yuzu made their way to Goro's desk in order to ask him about Kurosawa but their senior officer was more interested in asking if they wanted to go out for an early lunch so they could celebrate the conclusion of the case. The two, of course, welcomed the thought but Yuzu dismissed him when he suggested Café au lait.

"What's this about, Okogi? You love that place." He cast a suspicious look over the blonde.

"It's just that... I'm in the mood for American food."

"This isn't still about the fact that the manager knew Homura Mio, is it? We already have our guy."

"Actually, Goro-senpai. Hibiki-san told us that there was something odd about the blood specimen that she got from Homura Mio and that she told Kurosawa-san about it." Harumi said.

"Explain."

"She said that the blood seemed to have been diluted but also that it could be due to specific medications. I read Amemiya's autopsy report and there were no drugs in his system." Yuzu answered.

Goro scowled and started scratching his beard, a sign that he was considering Harumi and Yuzu's trail of thought. The blonde felt hopeful that she'd be able to convince her senior to take one more look at the case.

"Fine, there's still a lot of questions behind the Homura Mio case. I'll allow you to investigate it a little further but _tread lightly_ when it comes to Udagawa Yasu. I don't want you two going up against one of the most influential families just because of your gut feeling. If you do find anything that relates to him, I want you to tell me before you do anything. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Yuzu gave her best at saluting Goro.

"So, about eating out..." Goro continued but was quickly disrupted by Yuzu being halfway out of the door already.

"Sorry, Goro-senpai. Maybe next time!"

"Oi Okogi!" He rubbed his temples in annoyance when the blonde didn't even bother to look back, "I'm counting on you to watch that idiot, Taniguchi."

Yuzu quickly headed up the staircase, she wanted to meet with Matsuri and tell her the good news. It's true that they shouldn't be harassing the manager with regards to Mio's case but there were also questions that only he could answer. After all, both Amemiya and Mio were already dead and Makoto was still in a coma. The people around Mio barely knew a thing about her private life and that didn't help at all either.

There was definitely something suspicious at play here and whether that was only relating to Mio's case or the Doll Maker's as well was still up for debate. Considering the fact that there were people whom the Homuras owed money to, there was also a chance that Mio's murder was simply dressed up to frame Amemiya for convenience and Yuzu would be damned if she let the real culprits get away, disregarding whoever they were.

"Matsuri!" She greeted the pink-haired girl as she entered the room.

"Ah, Yuzu-chan. Perfect timing."

Matsuri slowly spun her chair around and revealed the half-dead look that she had. Yuzu instantly knew that the girl most likely hasn't slept at all since yesterday, the dark rings under her eyes were a clear testament to that.

"Whoa, did you sleep at all?"

"No. Thanks to you. Now come here before you piss me off." The girl motioned for Yuzu to approach her.

"I've been working on Amemiya's cell all night and I finally managed to restore some of the data that was on it."

Matsuri handed a single piece of paper to Yuzu and the blonde quickly examined it. Frankly speaking, there wasn't much on it except for a few text messages and a call log that only had 5 numbers in it. Most of the text messages were pretty normal and Yuzu assumed that it was from people that Amemiya trusted enough to keep contact with, there was also one that seemed to have been from whoever treated his eye and another one from an angry family member.

This was great, she could use these as an excuse to interview the people around Amemiya. She could even pressure them into talking because they were technically aiding a wanted man.

"Can we trace any of the numbers?"

"One step ahead of you, as always. The first two are registered to people who work in a laundry station... odd, I know. I couldn't get the one who was angry but I'm pretty sure that's his father just from the way the mobile company refused to give his number. Confidentiality they said." Matsuri shrugged.

"And the last one?"

There was a noticeable drop in Matsuri's demeanor like she was saddened by the question and the girl struggled to answer it, "It's the manager."

"Udagawa Yasu? He treated Amemiya's eye?"

"That seems to be the case. Don't do anything stupid, Yuzu-chan."

"I'm not going to. I'll let Goro-senpai know first."

"Good."

Yuzu pondered on the matter. She promised to tell Goro if anything related to the Udagawas came into play though she didn't expect to find such damning information so quickly and part of her wanted to give the manager a heads up. Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't extend him that privilege even as a friend. Not with a case like this, anyway.

Continuing to look at the document, Yuzu noticed that there was a number on the call logs that Amemiya never sent a message to nor called. It was like that person just called in and only about an hour before Mei was taken from the parking lot. It was suspicious.

"Matsuri, what about this number?"

"Ah, that one. I couldn't track it."

"Was there anything else on Amemiya's phone?"

"No, but from the looks of it. I'll guess that the thing is pretty old. So, there might've been more messages on it that I can't recover anymore."

Yuzu stared at the number and furrowed her eyebrows. It looked familiar and she could've sworn she saw it somewhere but she couldn't remember.

"080-xxxx-xx51" Yuzu mumbled to herself quite loudly.

"Isn't that the number from Homura Makoto's cell?" Harumi spoke as she entered the room.

"What?"

The blonde took out her notebook and quickly scanned through the pages until she found it. It's true, the number was the same as the one that sent Makoto all those messages that coerced him into kidnapping Mei. 'Shit.' Yuzu inwardly cursed, the whole thing was becoming more convoluted and now she wasn't even sure if Mei was still safe.

* * *

Notes:

I re-did this chapter a few times. Literally three different version of how everything went just because I couldn't decide on the pace and solidifying the owner of the mobile number that called Amemiya on top of being involved in Mei's kidnapping.


	41. Chapter 40: Rising Suspicion

"Welcome home." Those words sounded like honey in Yuzu's ears. She never once thought she'd ever look forward to coming home and being greeted with the usual line but right now it felt like heaven sent. It felt so domestic that it reminded her of a hardworking husband who'd just returned home to his beautiful wife - and what a beautiful wife she came home to.

"I'm home."

She replied with a large but tired smile. The entire day hasn't gone as she would've liked and, instead of answers, she found more questions buzzing around in her head like a pile of houseflies that got attracted to a shitty idea. Just to add more gas to the fire, she even has to break the news on her departure from the academy and the possible danger that still lurked around her lover.

"Did you have dinner?" She asked lazily.

"No, I was-" Mei stopped and a blush sneaked across the girl's face.

'Ah, she was waiting for me to come home.' Yuzu thought as she giggled to herself. The entire situation felt so sweet that Yuzu couldn't help but be thankful to be alive. She might be feeling extremely tired but Mei definitely deserved the best dinner she could prepare and by the gods, she would make it an amazing one.

"I'll cook dinner then."

"But you seem tired. Let's just order something."

"It's okay. I'll make you something special."

There were a few more protests from Mei but the girl eventually conceded to Yuzu's decision and silently watched the older girl prepare their dinner. It seemed as though Mei started getting a habit of watching Yuzu cook and the blonde couldn't help but assume that her lover was trying to learn the dishes through observation. There wasn't much that Yuzu could teach Mei so when an opportunity to bond comes along, she was sure to take it.

"Mei, do you want to help out?" She offered with a huge helping of a welcoming smile.

"If you don't mind."

Mei got up from her seat and headed straight for the kitchen, still observing how quickly the blonde maneuvered the utensils as she went from sautéeing onions to chopping up a few vegetables in a matter of seconds.

"Hold on, Mei. Use this." Yuzu handed an elastic band to Mei and the girl gladly accepted it.

Taking care not to leave any loose strands, Mei tied her long jet-black hair in a bun similar to what she had during the party. It was great for cooking but terrible for Yuzu's heart, she couldn't help but gawk at Mei's exposed neck.

"What?"

"N-nothing." Yuzu averted her gaze.

Mei shook her head and the two went on to cook. Burger steak is a quick recipe and Yuzu knew that Mei would probably have no issues following her instructions since the raven-haired girl has been nothing but ingenious in everything she did. It's just cooking, right? What could possibly go wrong?... Everything, apparently.

Despite Yuzu's best attempts at dishing out as much of the measurements and procedures that she remembered, Mei seemed to have an incredibly difficult time following her lead. It was to the point that the raven-haired girl even added sugar instead of salt, though that was partly Yuzu's fault because she had accidentally switched the containers when she refilled them.

Adding insult to injury, Mei didn't even know how to fry meat. She kept flipping the burgers too early and in the end what they were left with was fried ground beef along with a partly-burnt and party-uncooked helping of mixed vegetables. Yuzu didn't even know how to hold back her laughter, much less comfort Mei on the failed attempt.

"It's okay, Mei. You'll get better."

She gave the taller girl a soft pat on the back but the snort that accidentally escaped from her lips was more than enough to break whatever comfort she tried to give Mei. the taller girl was less than pleased at her 'accident' and quickly shot daggers at the blonde who couldn't help but think how childish and adorable Mei was at the moment.

When the laughter and anger died down, the two decided to finally try eating the witch's concoction that emitted a dangerous aura on the dining table. To their surprise, despite the awful appearance and butchered recipe, Mei's burgers weren't as bad as they both thought it would be and two actually enjoyed their dinner.

Light conversations passed between the two; mostly Yuzu asking questions while Mei gave her single lined answers or two worded comments but that didn't bother Yuzu in the least bit. She enjoyed spending time with Mei even if they weren't as lively as when she was with Harumi and the others. The blonde wished for nothing more than for these moments to continue forever and for that, she needed to make sure that Mei was safe and out of danger.

"Say, Mei. There's something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"I'm not going to be attending the academy anymore. I already got the chief's confirmation."

"Oh."

"There's something else."

Yuzu waited for Mei to respond but the girl just continued playing around with her food. After a few seconds passed, Yuzu was convinced that Mei wasn't going to comment or ask her what else she was going to say so she decided to speak of her own accord.

"I don't think Amemiya was the one who planned your first kidnapping and I also don't think he killed anyone."

Yuzu looked at Mei, trying to gauge the other girl's expression but all she found on those amethyst eyes was confusion. The raven-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows like she was trying to determine if Yuzu was joking or not and just when Yuzu thought she was finally finished making weird facial expressions, Mei continued doing more.

"What makes you think that?" She finally answered after some time.

"We found information on Amemiya's cell. Someone called him the day you were kidnapped and that same someone was also the one who coerced Makoto-kun into kidnapping you." Yuzu sighed.

"So this is what you've been so worried about lately... you weren't convinced it was over."

"Sorry, was I that obvious?" Yuzu looked away and scratched her neck in embarrassment. Once again her emotions displayed on her face like an open book.

"But if they're pulling you from the academy then that means that the police is sure that you have your suspect, right?"

"Yes and no. We have confirmation that the DNA matched."

"But?"

"But I don't believe it." Yuzu admitted.

Mei knitted her brows even harder at Yuzu's confession. How could something as advanced as DNA analysis be wrong? No, it couldn't be wrong and if it wasn't wrong then there was only one possible reason for that to happen.

"Then the only plausible way for both the results matching and your theory to be correct is... if someone from the police is burying the evidence. How much do you trust the people you work with?" Mei asked.

'How much do you trust the people that you work with?' Yuzu echoed in her mind. She never once even considered the fact that someone in the police station may have had a hand in disrupting the DNA results but if that was true then who would it be? The most suspicious is obviously Hibiki since she ran the tests. She could've easily faked the reports and destroyed the original DNA. No one would even question her because of the reputation she held.

Who else? Goro? He kept on insisting that Udagawa should be left out of the investigation and even when she brought him the information that Hibiki gave, he still refused to let them interview Udagawa Yasu. Then again, that might have been done in their best interest and if Hibiki was the culprit then she might've planned for Yuzu to confront Udagawa. Plunging her into deeper trouble.

Matsuri also touched the evidence but Yuzu would much rather blind herself than doubt the pink-haired girl who had been with her since they were kids... 'Wait, There's someone else.' she thought as she remembered the phone call she had with Matsuri after she learned of Mei's and Amemiya's past engagement. Kurosawa was there at the evidence locker just before Matsuri took the items that Hibiki asked for.

Three possible suspects, none of which she could question nor clear without throwing her crazy idea out in the open. There wasn't much she could do unless she was willing to compromise her own standing, not that she ever cared for it but the chief would have her head for disrupting the office's morale in the event that she was wrong about her assumption.

Hibiki and Kurosawa would be hard to prove innocent but Yuzu could approach the cafe manager and ask him simple questions to see if a dragon reared its ugly head. There was another reason why Yuzu doubted Goro, the only people who knew she wasn't with Mei was her team and Matsuri. Since she'd trust both Matsuri and Harumi with her life, that meant that Goro was the odd one out.

She didn't want to suspect her senior but unlike the other two, she hasn't known him long enough to get a gist of what he hid under that scowl and as Yuzu learned recently, even handsome faces can hide monsters inside.

"Yuzu, are you okay?" Mei looked alarmed at the sudden silence.

"Yes! I'm more than okay... well, not really."

Mei's sudden question pulled Yuzu out of her thoughts and as much as she'd love to tell her lover that she was fine - she really wasn't. Yuzu had become entangled in a web of lies and mistrust, two things she never wanted to experience and now she's at the forefront of it all. People that she worked with, friends she regularly ate with... could she still trust everyone like she used to?

No, that isn't even the right question. Being a detective meant Yuzu had to doubt everything she heard and instead, piece together information from what she observed with her own senses, not someone else's.

"Mei, can I kiss you?" A sudden request.

"Why?" Mei asked suspiciously.

"No reason."

Yuzu didn't wait for an answer. She quickly left her chair and stood beside Mei while the latter followed the blonde with her eyes and unwittingly turned her body in the girl's direction. Yuzu leaned in and gently cupped Mei's face with both of her hands while Mei held those very hands and firmly tried to pry them off, ultimately losing the battle when Yuzu's lips came in contact with her own.

The blonde's hand trailed off from Mei's face and towards her nape, pulling the raven-haired girl in for a deeper kiss as she used her tongue to explore the latter's mouth. Yuzu was completely intoxicated by Mei, her scent, her eyes, the way she fumbled about while they shared a passionate kiss and she couldn't help but trail her kisses down Mei's neck.

"Yuzu, stop." Mei tried to push the blonde away while she caught her breath.

"What if I don't want to?" Yuzu met Mei's eyes as if challenging the raven-haired girl.

It was the first time Mei had ever seen Yuzu being so... needy and she couldn't completely deny her own desire to hold the blonde, kiss her and maybe even touch her. Mei's thoughts were quickly sent into oblivion when Yuzu gave her another kiss, their lips melding into one another and then-

"Ouch!" Yuzu screamed as Mei bit her lip a little too hard.

"I told you to stop. You're getting carried away." Mei scolded the blonde.

"You're so mean, Mei."

Yuzu whined about the pain but in truth, this was exactly what she was looking for. The blonde had already considered how far she was willing to go to ensure Mei's safety. If that meant she had to fly towards the sun and be burned as she did, then so be it. Though she wasn't willing to leave Mei in order to achieve her goal either. The plan is to finish everything and then live happily ever after and for that she needed to stay grounded. The fact that Mei will always pull her out of her greed and delusion was reassuring and she entrusted the unknowing girl of the task.

Yuzu smiled at Mei and proceeded to wrap her arms around the raven-haired girl's neck, pulling the latter close and burying her face on the hollow of Mei's neck as she whispered, "You're my anchor from now on, okay?"

Mei sat in silence, confused by Yuzu's words and at the same time, afraid to ask what it meant.

* * *

Notes:

Feel free to state your guesses, not like it's a spoiler unless it's explicitly stated in the story.

I haven't had much time lately. October has been busy AF and I wanted to extend an apology to the people who are reading the other story and waiting for an update. I'm sorry, you're gonna have to wait a while longer. D:

*has run out of stuff to say here. Flies away.*

* * *

Welcome back dwolpertinger!

Also, thank you to everyone who's still reading! ୧⍢⃝୨


	42. Chapter 41: A Person's Determination

Yuzu kept herself busy during the past few days. She worked her ass on collecting any evidence she could pick up while simultaneously making sure she was around Mei as much as possible during the latter's free time. This meant that Yuzu took Mei to campus, accompanied her during lunch and picked her up after classes as if nothing had changed - except she was practically running around and gathering evidence in between.

Sitting idly was no longer something that the blonde had the luxury of doing and whatever lead she found, she immediately went after. Unfortunately, despite the enthusiasm and effort she was pushing into the case, it bore no fruit. Udagawa Yasu hasn't appeared at his cafe for a few days now and despite the suspicious circumstances of it, she learned from Matsuri that the older man had been called home for some business matters and should be returning shortly.

For a while, she contemplated on storming the Udagawa estate and force her way in to question the man but that would just be asking for trouble on top of already being in hot water. Not to mention how idiotic it would be to just accuse a person without any solid evidence toward the fact. No, the better choice was obviously to wait for Udagawa Yasu to return and _then_ question him. This way she wouldn't risk alerting him of her suspicion and he wouldn't turn into a flight risk.

After accepting the fact that she had no choice but to sit on her palms, Yuzu contemplated on her next set of possible witnesses/criminals; the two that Matsuri identified from Amemiya's cellphone. Yuzu scoured the city far and wide to try and look for the two who owned the numbers which contacted Amemiya but much like the first case, they seem to have gone under the radar and no one from the nearby establishments even recognized the men in the photo that Yuzu showed.

This could mean a few things, the most obvious being that they took out the phones with fake identification and so the recorded images didn't match the actual people. It would be hard to prove because barely anyone visited physical stores anymore, opting to shop online whenever possible. The second idea she had was that these people are part of a group which was influential enough to instill silence from possible witnesses but regardless, it was a dead end.

Finally, her last option was to go and talk to the Amemiya patriarch, the so-called culprit's father. That in itself was a daunting task since Yuzu hasn't met a single rich man that didn't have this very Mei-like aura about them and the men were a lot worse than her lover ever could be. Still, if she wanted this to be over any time soon, then she couldn't afford to get cold feet every single time she needed to put herself out there. In her mind, if she couldn't do this then there was no way she would ever be storming the Udagawa estate.

The blonde checked her phone, trying to calculate the amount of time it would take to go from the academy to the Amemiyas'. It was around an hour away but if she got the information she needed within three hours, then she'd be all good to return and accompany Mei home. Of course, the only problem would be if the patriarch refused to see her or is busy attending other matters. She definitely couldn't wait around for him to return.

Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. It's true that she wanted to dedicate every resource into solving this but she also wanted to do the same for guarding Mei. She could ask Harumi for help but the blonde knew that she was taking a risky path here and she didn't want to pull her own friend down in case she did something stupid and messed up. She was lucky enough to have convinced Goro to return the patrol officers that watched Mei's apartment and even that was a huge help when it came to her leaving at night.

Truthfully, she didn't think that the real culprit would be showing himself soon. The assumption was based on the fact that if Homura Mio's death and the Doll Maker killings were dressed up to be blamed on Amemiya then that would mean the real culprit would be lying low for some time or disappear entirely. Of course, that was all baseless deduction in Yuzu's part and she wasn't willing to risk Mei's safety a third time - not counting Makoto's attempt.

"Yuzu?" Mei called softly.

The blonde lost her thoughts as soon as she heard her name being spoken with that voice that never failed to calm her. Even in grueling times like this, it never ceased to amaze Yuzu how much comfort Mei gave her. Looking up from her food, she noticed that Mei had a troubled look on her face. Not so much with the expression but her eyes told an entirely different story.

"What's wrong, Mei?" Yuzu asked with a smile, trying to hide her worries.

"You seem... troubled lately."

The raven-haired girl looked away. Yuzu didn't understand the meaning behind that action but she guessed that it was because Mei hasn't completely opened up to her and even showing these little bits of concern on a regular basis was extremely taxing on the girl. After all, she hasn't had many chances to express herself prior to Yuzu's appearance. The blonde also realized that her emotions were showing on her face again and that she unintentionally worried her lover with her 'supposedly' hidden turmoil.

"It's nothing! There's just this really annoying thing at work!" She lied and hoped her body wouldn't betray her.

"I see..."

Yuzu continued observing Mei. She looked for any signs that the latter wasn't satisfied with her pathetic excuse. Unsurprisingly, it looked like the raven-haired girl was now knitting her own eyebrows and struggling to say something out loud which Yuzu patiently waited for; afraid that speaking out would cause Mei to revert to her 'never mind' stance.

"If-" Mei gripped at her skirt as if it would give her the emotional support she needed to get through whatever she needed to say. "If you're troubled by something... then I don't mind listening." The girl kept her eyes firmly on the desk, unwilling to meet Yuzu's gaze.

Flustered and a little panicked at the sudden spike in cuteness that Mei was displaying, Yuzu couldn't help but stare wide-eyed with slack-jawed. For a few seconds, she considered spilling everything about how much she was working, her distrust and her willingness to go to the ends of the earth to ensure Mei's protection but she knew that wouldn't be a wise choice.

Telling Mei would be the equivalent of giving up in the entire line of inquiry. The raven-haired girl would never allow it and Yuzu knew that despite the cold and uncaring demeanor, Mei was just a girl on the inside. So with a heavy heart and thinking that this was all for the best, Yuzu pushed her worries aside and continued lying.

"It's really nothing, Mei. What's gotten into you?" She smiled sheepishly at the girl.

Sadness washed over Mei's features for a brief moment but the girl was an expert on concealing her emotions though it didn't get past Yuzu. The blonde didn't want to do this. The last thing she ever wanted to do was lie to Mei about the circumstances around them and Yuzu swore that once everything was resolved, she'd properly apologize for the choice she made today and would continue making in the future.

"Lunch is almost over. I'll be heading back." Mei said. Her voice was a little weaker than usual.

"All right. I'll see you after class."

Yuzu got up from her chair and started walking beside Mei. The raven-haired girl walked wordlessly while continuously playing with the ring on her finger and Yuzu could only think of two reasons why she would do that; she was annoyed by the ring or she was thinking about something that had to do with the accessory. Mei stopped walking abruptly and her eyes looked distant as if her mind was off somewhere.

"Mei?"

There was a bit of concern in Yuzu's voice but the raven-haired girl paid no heed to it. Instead, she chose to look up only when she was ready to do so. Mei gracefully approached the blonde and caressed the latter's cheek before planting a soft kiss on it.

"Be careful." She whispered into Yuzu's ear and without missing a beat, left the blonde alone in the room.

Yuzu ran her fingers on the spot where the feeling of Mei's kiss still lingered. It was just a kiss on the cheek but what counted was the fact that Mei cared about her enough to do these silly little things that made her heart flutter like crazy. The blonde smiled to herself, completely happy by the display of affection, and ran after the raven-haired girl.

'All right! Let's do this!' Yuzu cheered herself up on her way out of campus. Mei was safely taking her lessons again and she had 5 hours max to burn on investigative work. Her primary goal of the day was to extract information from the Amemiyas and that was exactly what she was going to do.

The Amemiyas' estate was nothing grand like the Aiharas and it was a sharp contrast to the western style of Mei's family home; choosing a simpler traditional Japanese style complete with a zen garden. The house itself was in pristine condition though there was a need to repaint various parts of it and the garden looked like it had seen better days. The number of servants was also nothing compared to the ones she saw at Aihara mansion and the blonde couldn't help but wonder if the household had declined enough to allow themselves a more frugal lifestyle.

"Okogi-san, this way please." The maid ushered her into the main reception room.

Inside the room, an older man sat quietly in a seiza position near the sliding panels which connected to the garden. The man was definitely Amemiya Hideki's father, their faces were like two sides of the same piece... if they were the same age. They even had the same eye color and similar heights, however, unlike Hideki, the old man gave a more authoritative aura about him on top of having a calmer exterior than the somewhat aggressive son.

"Detective Okogi, I presume?" He said.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry to take up your time." The blonde answered politely.

"Sit, please."

Yuzu groaned internally. Seiza was never something she had to practice religiously and now she was most likely going to stay in the most uncomfortable sitting position while having to simultaneously deal with her loud thoughts and getting the Amemiya patriarch to cough up whatever information he's hiding. Nevertheless, the case takes precedence over her personal discomfort and she courteously got down on the floor and sat in a similar way as her host.

"I understand that you're here with regards to Hideki."

"Yes."

"Then let me be frank so we can shorten this. I have no knowledge of what he did, how he did it or why. I have disowned that boy and anything he does has no bearing on the Amemiya family."

Frigid. Absolutely frigid. This was a man talking about his own son who was currently lying on a steel bed while being dissected, accused and condemned for a crime that he may or may not have committed - depends on who you ask. Yet the old man didn't seem like he could spare a single shred of concern or time towards his eldest.

"I understand, Amemiya-san. But I wanted to ask you a few things." The blonde pushed on.

"Then I will answer whatever concerns my _family_."

Yuzu knew the meaning behind that. The old man wasn't going to budge about anything related to the events after Amemiya was disowned, which meant she had to start all the way from the beginning back to how Amemiya was disowned and hopefully she could get the old man to loosen up. There was, of course, a second and faster option: appeal to him with sympathy. It's a cheap way to go about the matter but it is fast and effective.

"Amemiya-san, we found your son's mobile-"

"He's not my son." The man interjected swiftly.

"Right... excuse me, Hideki's cell phone and we saw that you had exchanged a few messages with him prior to his death. Can you enlighten me on the matter?"

"It concerned money. He wanted to be reinstated in the Amemiya family for financial reasons. I refused, of course."

"Did he mention anything on why he needed money?"

"I don't care enough to ask embarrassments on their thought process, Okogi-san."

Having been served tea was the most welcoming this conversation was ever going to get. The old man was clearly unwilling to give his cooperation and the way he was fanning his tea gave Yuzu the idea that he wanted her gone as soon as possible. Apparently, those little snippets of information that she received while chatting with Harumi's grandmother would eventually be of some use to her, who would've known?

"Amemiya-san, I'll be frank and I trust in your confidence. Do you want to prove your sons innocence in the matter?" She asked him.

Yuzu gauged the old man's reaction. It was faint but he was obviously not as stoic as the Aiharas, who seem to have mastered the art of emotional concealment, and upon that wrinkled face, a slight glimmer of hope could be seen on the elder's eyes. This was it. Yuzu only needed to push a little more and she would be able to get what she wanted. It made her feel sick that she was playing with another human being's emotions in order to achieve her goal but it was necessary at this point and she wasn't really lying.

"I was informed that they found evidence against him, damning ones. Why would you offer such impossible notions?" He asked. There was a slight vibration in his voice which made it apparent that he was nervous.

"Because I want to know the truth and for that, I need your cooperation."

The old man looked as if he was trying to discern the motivation behind Yuzu's words. He looked so intensely at her that she felt like a hole would burn right through her eyes but she didn't flinch. She recognized the need to hold her ground or else she would never move forward.

Yuzu kept quiet and waited for judgment to be passed on her. For what seemed like hours, the old man kept observing her and when he was finally satisfied, a long sigh escaped his lips and he relaxed his shoulders a little bit before lifting his yunomi and taking a sip from it.

"It's your win, detective. You have my cooperation. Ask what you will."

* * *

Notes:

Some Japanese terminologies in here:

Seiza is the sitting position you'd often see in anime. It's the one where they sit on their own legs during formal meetings.

Yunomi is what you call the traditional Japanese teacups.

Also regarding Yuzu's comment on "fanning" the tea. There is a lot of gestures involved in Japanese culture. One of which is the way they present themselves while entertaining guests. Motioning toward the host's body meant that the host is asking the guests to stay a little longer. Doing the opposite means they want them to leave soon.

* * *

Meh, I've had a lot to do lately so this has been delayed quite a bit. My laziness just rejects hard work, you know? I can't even bring myself to work on anything after I've done things I didn't want to do. Sounds like I killed someone. LOL

Fantastic guesses but I can't confirm anything. You know how it is. We're not that far from the end though so hold on a little bit. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	43. Chapter 42: Taking Risks

It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of Yuzu's shoulders when the Amemiya patriarch finally agreed to give her his cooperation. In a way, she had the feeling that like the old man had been purposely indulging her in meaningless declinations for the sole purpose of getting rid of her but now she hoped that he would keep his word and answer all of her questions truthfully.

"Then can you answer my previous question? Why did Amemiya Hideki need money?"

"I'm not sure of the entire story, however, the first time he contacted me was around a few months ago. It was the first time we had spoken in years."

"After you disowned him?" Yuzu asked.

"That's correct, Okogi-san. That boy took it hard when I told him that he would be cut off from his inheritance and that he would lose every right he held in the company. He never once called home and never once came here to apologize. He became a mess but it got better after a while. I guess in the end if he had Homura Mio, he was happy enough even with a simpler life."

"So, what happened?"

"As I previously mentioned, he suddenly begged me to reinstate him into the family and I declined. He even promised to work hard for the family's sake and I knew he wouldn't have asked after so long if it wasn't important but I couldn't take that risk. I had my youngest child and the future of my family to think of. Accepting him back as an Amemiya would mean tarnishing our own reputation."

The old man looked up and focused his attention on a family portrait at the edge of the room. Yuzu followed his eyes and saw that the portrait contained a happy family; the patriarch, his wife, Hideki, and another child, who the blonde assumed as the youngest son, were all present in the family photo. Yuzu couldn't help but wonder how their smiles turned to anguish in such a short amount of time.

"He tried to ask for money after I refused. 10 million Yen in cash but there was no way I could provide that with the current state of our family. Then I heard that he had contacted the Aihara girl and begged her to take him back which of course, didn't go as he planned. He was never a very bright child."

"It wasn't until much later that I found out why he needed the money so badly. Apparently, the Homura family owed a lot of money to some very... dangerous people and they managed to track the woman down. They threatened her in more ways than one; killing her and her brother, selling them to the slave market or even butchering them and selling their organs."

"Hideki couldn't let that happened so he swallowed his pride and came running to me and the Aihara girl but neither of us helped him. I can't blame the Aihara girl after what Hideki had done to her but I should've at least-"

Looking down with knitted brows, the old man heaved with heavy dejection. Yuzu understood that the cold exterior he had been playing was a ploy all along. The old man cared about his eldest son, it was plainly obvious now.

"I just thought that if I had done something then none of this would've happened." He continued.

"Does that means you don't think he could've killed Homura Mio?" She asked.

A light chuckle passed through the elder's lips upon hearing Yuzu's question and she immediately felt like she said something stupid.

"Okogi-san, Hideki is aggressive, short-tempered and dimwitted at times but if you loved someone enough to initially refuse a marriage with a woman like Aihara Mei with her background, beauty, and status; would you throw it all away and kill that very same person you sacrificed so much for? If you were willing to beg and grovel before others in order to help that person, tell me, would you kill her? He would not have hurt her. I firmly believe that even if I can't speak for the other supposed victims."

Yuzu scratched her head in embarrassment. The old man's words were just hearsay at most and there was no way for her to gauge if Amemiya Hideki really did love Homura Mio as much as his father would have Yuzu believe. Currently, there are only two people who would be able to confirm that information for her and one of them is missing in action while the other was still lying in a hospital bed. How inconvenient.

"What about Aihara Mei then? Does he hate her enough to spur him into attempted murder?"

"I won't deny that he despised her for some time... maybe he still did. I see no reason why he would suddenly act the way he did after remaining quiet for so many years but your guess is as good as mine, detective."

A dead end. There was nothing to be had here and Yuzu could already feel her confidence crumbling. The elder Amemiya knew nothing about his son's actions prior to the incidents and he knew nothing of whatever occurred during the incident. All he knew was how he saw his son and the relationships that his son had; none of which were helping her get anywhere.

'Wait, relationships?' she echoed to herself.

"Amemiya-san, would you happen to remember if Hideki had ever been acquainted with someone from the Udagawa family? A man named Udagawa Yasu in particular."

The room fell quiet, so much that the sound of dripping water from the bamboo fountain could clearly be heard from a few feet away.

Yuzu studied the old man's face, he seemed like he was surprised by the mention of the Udagawas but he kept his mouth shut and started lightly tapping his index finger on the table. A few seconds later, a louder tap resounded in the room and marked the end of the elder's silence.

"Yes, I believe that Hideki had mentioned him before. A good friend of Homura Mio's he said. I might be wrong but he seemed jealous of the man's constant involvement with Homura Mio, giving her a job and such."

"Is that all, Amemiya-san?" She inquired, trying to pry deeper as her gut urged her.

"To my memory, yes."

"Are you aware that he treated Hideki's injuries after his failed attempt at kidnapping Aihara Mei? If he was just jealous of Udagawa Yasu, then why would he do that? You told me you'd cooperate but it seems like you're hiding something from me!" Yuzu raised her voice unintentionally.

"Okogi-san, I am telling you everything I know and I don't appreciate the cynicism in your tone." He quickly apprehended her.

"Sorry."

"I am also telling you the truth. I don't know why Hideki would ever approach the Udagawa boy for help. If you're going to ask about their family and circumstances, then I'm afraid I'm not of much help either. All I know is what everyone else knows - they are brutal and driven when it comes to business. It pays to be a friend of the Udagawas but the opposite can be catastrophic."

"Could you expand on that a little more, sir? About the Udagawas."

"A very rich family with a long history behind them and the capability to sway anyone to their whims. Most families touch on one or two fields and focus on them, like the Aiharas and education or the Momokinos and medicine, but the Udagawas have a hand in just about everything and they will stop at nothing to fulfill their ambitions. As for family circumstances, there isn't much that I can tell you. I'm sorry."

"That's okay, this is good enough."

"Let me give you a piece of advice, detective. If you're not prepared to lose a lot, then I suggest you don't pry any deeper into the Udagawas' business, however, if you're adamant in solving this case and you think they might be involved... then I may be able to suggest something. Are you prepared to take the risk?" He asked her with critical eyes.

There wasn't anything in the world that Yuzu was afraid to lose as long is it meant Mei's safety was guaranteed. There wasn't much to think about, whatever the price was, she'd gladly pay it.

"Yes."

"I see. If you're acquainted with the Aiharas then that means you must have met the brother who's more Yukimura than Aihara. I mentioned before that each family focuses on one or two fields but the Yukimuras are also exempt from this. They dabble in secret affairs and information, often being the go-to when it comes to company espionage. Of course not many know this and those who do always sneer at them while using their services."

"Admittedly, I contacted them when the issue with Aihara Mei ballooned but they refused to help me under the excuse of the Aiharas and them maintaining a close family connection. But they might be of some use to you."

Yuzu was a little surprised at the revelation. First Udagawa Yasu and now Yukimura Kei, she thought she knew them intimately but in the end she knew nothing about either one of them; not even their lives nor their family circumstances. It just goes to show you how little you actually think about what a person does during the time you're not together.

Having gotten all the information she could get from the elder Amemiya, Yuzu extended her gratitude and promised the old man that she would do her best to get to the bottom of the case. She didn't promise him that Amemiya Hideki would be cleared of all the charges but she instilled him with confidence that whatever he wasn't guilty of, she would definitely fight to prove his innocence.

The old man clearly despised himself for the choices that he made and the consequences that followed. The truth was that the elder Amemiya seemed to have loved his son more than anything but in the world of business, decisions had to be made and he chose the future of his family and his younger son. His grief was such that he chose to stay silent in order to not condemn Hideki any further than the evidence already did, however, Yuzu's determination gave him hope that maybe his son wasn't guilty and he chose to trust her out of desperation.

"I can't change the past and I can't take it all back. My decisions, no matter how correct I'd like them to be, led to this point. Okogi-san, I pray that the decisions you make from now on will not lead you to the same place."

His parting words were full of sadness and foreboding, like a curse that had been passed from one person to the next. There was a terrible discomfort in Yuzu's heart and it continued gnawing at her like a hungry stray that finally found its first meal in months. 'Just a little more' she told herself as she shook her head from side to side in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts that pervaded her mind.

Right now she needed to get in touch with Kei and confirm if he could help out. It would be easier to just speak to him at school but the male twin was still resting after his injury so the best she could get was a phone call.

"Hello? Yuzu?" Kei immediately picked up.

"Hi, Kei. How are you?" She greeted him warmly.

"Just swell, you know? Bullet wound, wrecked car, police interviews."

"At least you have something cool to tell your children someday!"

"Don't think you're off the hook! I expect you to pay me back big time for this! Anyway, what's up?"

"What? Can't I just call because I'm worried about you?"

Yuzu immediately felt bad. She hasn't called Kei to ask about his injury since she visited him at the hospital. To be fair he seemed just fine and dandy and somewhere at the back of Yuzu's mind, she felt like he was just using this opportunity to laze around at home. Then again, that doesn't change the fact that she really did call him because she needed something.

"Actually... I spoke to the head of the Amemiyas and he said you could help me with something but this needs to be between you and me!"

"Understood. I'll keep it a secret. So, what's this about?"

"The Udagawas."

"Why are you asking about the Udagawas?" Kei answered after a long pause.

Yuzu noted the change in Kei's voice. Usually, you could tell that he's a cheerful person from the way he spoke but right now he sounded like a completely different person.

It was starting to become more apparent that the Udagawas weren't people to be antagonized. Every single person she's mentioned them to had the same reaction as Kei did and it was like she was being told stay the hell away or burn alive while you try to take them down.

"I'm not sure but I think Amemiya isn't guilty of anything aside from the crimes against Mei. I was wondering if you could tell me about them."

"Well, I can only tell you what I know. I heard that dad was originally going to marry someone from the Udagawa family but they backed out because the Aiharas weren't as rich back then. I mean, I'm nothing but thankful because can you imagine me and Mei with Himeko's eyebrows?"

The Udagawas, much like the Momokinos seemed to have this trait in their bloodline and it was hilarious imaging Mei with such thick brows plastered on her face.

"Come on, Kei! This is serious!" Yuzu scolded Kei after she finally regained her composure.

"But that's all I know!"

"Don't skimp out on me! I heard from the Amemiya's head that your family deals with information!"

"You found out about that, huh?" Kei answered after another short pause.

"Yes, I'm asking help from Yukimura Kei this time, not the Kei who's Mei's brother."

Kei released a loud sigh and Yuzu noticed the audible creak of a chair as he did. She patiently waited for the man to answer, trying not to force him into anything despite her desperation.

Yuzu didn't even care anymore. She just got in trouble for involving Kei in the Amemiya case but now she was right back where she should've never gone - asking Kei for help. Not like she had a choice this time around. Matsuri would be able to help her in digital space but not everything is written in emails and messages, plus Matsuri would get into a lot of trouble if she actually hacked people who were this powerful.

"Okay. I'll help but let me just wrap my head around this first, you don't believe that Amemiya was behind the killings?"

"Not one bit."

"Fine. I'll need to send out people to gather the information that you need. I'll check back with you once it's ready, would that be okay?"

"How long would that take?"

"Sooner than you'd expect."


	44. Chapter 43: Muddled Relations

Harumi rounded the corner of the office and headed straight for her blonde friend who was just about to leave. The plum-haired girl hasn't been seeing much of her friend ever since the resolution to the Amemiya case was announced and even though she knew that Yuzu was already hard at work in following a new line of inquiry, the blonde hadn't told her anything about the development.

It wasn't unusual for Yuzu to be investigating and finding new information all on her own but it was the first time that she didn't come to Harumi nor Matsuri for a single thing and it had become slightly worrying. Goro just told Yuzu off and she was already given a warning by the police chief yet that didn't seem to deter the blonde's mischievous acts.

"Yu-zu-cchi!"

Harumi shouted playfully before tackling the Yuzu and smothering herself in the blonde's clothes. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that she missed her friend a lot and this was her way of showing a little affection.

"Harumin! That hurt!" The blonde whined.

"It's okay, Yuzu-cchi. Love hurts!"

Harumi continued smothering Yuzu in her 'love' for a few minutes before another detective finally snapped and shouted at them to stop playing around... mostly because they were blocking the door and no one could get in. Rising off the ground, Harumi dusted herself before offering a hand to her friend.

"Jeez, Harumin. Why are you being so rowdy?" The blonde complained after accepting the offered help.

"Because you're never around, Yuzu-cchi. Let's go grab lunch and hang out! I miss you!" The plum-haired girl pouted.

"Ah, sorry. I need to go to Mei. Let's eat together some other time, okay?" The blonde firmly planted her palms together and bowed her head low towards Harumi before she continued, "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

Yuzu quickly left before Harumi could even reply to her and without any other choice but to accept the blonde's departure, Harumi simply sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"What's up, Taniguchi-senpai?"

Harumi knew that voice and the last thing she wanted to do was to turn around and come face to face with the pink devil that she didn't want to deal with at the moment. It's been tough to deal with Matsuri ever since Yuzu started being busy and pampering Mei.

"Hello, Matsuri." Harumi greeted indifferently.

"So cold, Taniguchi-senpai. Now, where is that blondie?"

"You just missed her. She's going to the academy."

"WHAT?! Again?!"

"Seems like it."

Harumi watched as the pink-haired girl fumed, she was clearly distressed by Yuzu's constant disappearance. Harumi knew the source of Matsuri's annoyance but didn't dare to say it out loud in case she was wrong in the assumption or made the whole situation worse.

"You do realize that she's acting weird, right?" Masturi asked.

"Of course, I do."

Harumi furrowed her eyebrows at the question. She knew that Matsuri and Yuzu had known each other since they were children but it was insulting that the younger girl would even question her ability to read Yuzu.

"Then why aren't you asking her? Don't you want to know?!" Matsuri shouted aggressively.

"Because she'll tell us when she's ready." Harumi sighed.

"And if she never becomes ready?"

"Then I'll choose to trust her. I know she's probably doing this because she doesn't want to involve us. I know she'll ask for help if she really needs it."

"Tsk. You're just a coward, Taniguchi-senpai."

Harumi accepted Matsuri's insult and didn't stop the girl from storming off. Matsuri was right, she was a coward who was unwilling to pry into Yuzu's business. She wanted to wait for the blonde to willingly open up without being forced to do so and like always, Harumi was willing to wait. It wasn't like Matsuri was any better, the younger girl didn't have the guts to apprehend Yuzu either and so the two of them were perpetually stuck in limbo; always wondering and never knowing.

It was all fine... for now. Nothing's happening and it didn't seem like the blonde had gotten herself into dangerous waters but until how long would it be okay to sit on the fence? What if it was too late by the time they decided to act? Harumi was torn in between, though eventually her nature, as always, won the argument. Maybe someday it would change and she would be more assertive but it wasn't going to happen today.

An hour later at the academy, another girl was quickly left by the blonde. Mei sighed to herself, unsure on how to handle Yuzu's sudden change in spirit. Usually, the blonde would be extremely energetic and bouncing around everywhere but these days she'd just sit quietly in the office while the two of them had their lunch. Mei tried to guess what the problem was but Yuzu had gotten better at masking her emotions and when once she could easily read Yuzu's thoughts through the girl's expressions, all of that was slowly becoming obscured.

Mei felt like the blonde was slowly drifting away from her and she wasn't sure if this was just because the girl was busy with work and preoccupied with it or if she had already grown tired of Mei's incessant indifference and inability to show affection. She knew she had nothing to offer Yuzu and yet she didn't want to let the girl go, at least not without knowing the real reason behind the sudden change in demeanor.

She should ask, it would be easy to ask yet she can't bring herself to question Yuzu. It wasn't that she didn't have the words to do it or the fortitude to do so, it was more like she was afraid of knowing the answer. If Yuzu were to leave her behind, what would she do? How would she feel? Mei still remembered the pain from when her mother and brother left her, then her father. She loved them dearly but Yuzu was an entirely different tier and just thinking about it pained her, ate at her and crumbled her from the inside.

Mei immediately regretted the decision to stay at school despite the cancellation of afternoon classes. She decided that working would keep her mind off of Yuzu but, as usual, that wasn't working out as she hoped it would. Instead, she was stuck alone in a cold room with nothing but a pile of paper to keep her company while her woes continued to consume her mind.

A distraction would be well appreciated right now. It didn't even matter what, anything would be better than the silence or the voice inside her head that was growing louder with every minute that passed.

'Ring... ring... ring...' Like a blessing from above her phone started ringing and Mei thanked whatever deity was looking out for her before she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Mei?" Mei immediately recognized her grandfather's voice.

"Grandfather? Is something the matter?" She asked.

"Ah, I have the correct number then. I'm still surprised that you've decided to use a mobile after all this time."

Mei grasped the phone a little tighter, remembering that it was the second one she received from Yuzu. The original one got was damaged during the incident and while Matsuri tried her best to fix the waterlogged device, it was already too far gone. The blonde, having noticed Mei's sadness over the fact, decided to go out and buy her a new one.

"It's a gift, Grandfather. I can't just ignore it after someone went through all the trouble." There was a slight smile on her face as she answered.

"I see. In any case, there's nothing wrong. I just called to discuss something important. I know we've been shelving everything for a while now... after Amemiya, I just didn't want to make another mistake but now I'm confident that we've chosen a great man as your future partner. I've already spoken to him and his family and I think you'll like him."

"Grandfather, do you mean-"

"Yes, Mei. Your engagement has been decided. I know it's sudden but I thought that after the last incident, it would be better for you to settle down and have someone look after you." He interrupted her with excitement and pride in his voice.

Mei couldn't bring herself to say anything. She knew that this day would come eventually but she didn't expect it to be brought up all of a sudden.

"I'm doing what's best for you, Mei. You know I always have your best interest at heart. I need to go now. We'll discuss this later." He continued without a care for how she felt.

After the call ended, Mei cursed at the wind and the same deity that gave her a 'distraction.' This was worse, much worse than what she was initially troubled with. A fork in the road would be a proper analogy for the life choice she was being forced to make; tell her grandfather about her relationship with Yuzu or tell Yuzu that she was about to be engaged to a man she never met.

'A disappointment' Amemiya's words echoed in her mind. She never forgot what he told her and he wasn't wrong either, Mei's entire being shook at the thought of disappointing people. She was afraid of not being able to live to her grandfather's expectations and now she had a second person whom she didn't want to disappoint - Yuzu. To disappoint her grandfather or to disappoint Yuzu, she didn't know which one was worse.

She collapsed on her chair and allowed the backrest to carry all of her weight. Her feelings for Yuzu and the responsibilities she held as an Aihara, which one was more important? She didn't know what to do or what to think and her eyes began burning with a familiar sensation. She slumped forward, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes - a desperate attempt, like wishing the act could plug the tear ducts and prevent the tears from spilling out.

Her failure to suppress her emotions only served to upset the raven-haired girl even more and now she couldn't even prevent her vocal chords from voicing her frustration. The more she tried to calm herself, the more the tears flowed and the more the tears flowed, the more she broke apart. She drowned in her own tears and not even the soft clink of the doorknob nor the familiar voice which panickedly called her 'Mei-Mei' mattered.

Half-way across town, Yuzu arrived at the Yukimura residence. Kei called that morning and informed Yuzu that he already had the information that she was looking for and since the blonde didn't want to be any more of a burden than she already was, she offered to meet Kei at his house instead of a public area. At first, the man refused, stating that it was no problem at all but Yuzu insisted and after a few minutes of bickering, Kei finally agreed.

Much like the Amemiya estate, the Yukimura's owned a mansion which was designed with a Japanese aesthetic but unlike the former's it looked a lot more modern and luxurious. The entire land was much larger than even the Aihara's and it gave Yuzu the feeling that despite how rich the Aiharas were, the Yukimuras felt even more well-off.

"Yuzu!" Kei waved at her from inside the house.

"Excuse me." She said as she entered the house, making sure to leave her shoes in the process.

"This way."

Yuzu followed Kei from corridor to corridor until they arrived at a room which appeared to be more traditional than the rest of the house. The frames were all wooden which perfectly complimented the beautifully decorated panels painted with Asian dragons, it was a little intimidating but awe-inspiring nonetheless, however, what really caught Yuzu's attention was the woman who was sitting peacefully on the engawa, seemingly distracted by the outdoors.

The woman turned around when she heard them enter the room. Yuzu took note of how her blue Kimono perfectly accented her striking blue eyes and how If it wasn't for her eye color and the fact that Yuzu was sure she had left the raven-haired back at the academy, then she would be inclined to believe that her lover was the one sitting out there.

"Mother." Kei greeted the woman, "I have a friend visiting. Would you care to greet her?" He asked politely.

Suddenly it made sense why the woman would look so much like Mei. Yuzu couldn't help but feel a little flustered at meeting the twins' mother. It was like meeting her in-laws and the notion made her smile at how silly her thoughts were.

"Hello, uhm-" Yuzu looked at Kei, unsure of how to address the woman.

"Ah, sorry. Let me introduce you. Mother, this is Yuzu. Yuzu, this is our mother, Yukimura Hitomi."

"It's nice to meet you, Hitomi-san." She bowed respectfully before giving the woman a wide smile.

* * *

Terminologies:

Engawas are those corridors that you see outside of Japanese houses. Like the ones that Ichihara Yuuko often sits on when she's drinking sake outside.

* * *

Notes:

*Gets told to spice things up, gives problems instead* ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	45. Chapter 44: Another Promise

Hitomi didn't stand, neither did she answer or acknowledge Yuzu's introduction. She just wordlessly returned her gaze outside and continued watching the scenery. Yuzu could definitely see the similarity between Mei and Hitomi's personality but the latter seemed a little... odd. There was something not right about the way she moved, it was slow, almost catatonic and Kei would soon confirm Yuzu's guess.

"I'm sorry, Yuzu. She's not well today. Can you watch her while I go get a maid?" Kei apologetically asked.

"No problem. I'd be more than happy to!"

"Thanks." Kei smiled at her before leaving the room.

Yuzu didn't want to upset Hitomi but at the same time, she wanted to know about her - being Mei's mother and all. She also didn't know what to do about the deafening silence, so she did the only thing she knew to do in these situations - inconsiderately invade someone's personal space and babble until she got a reply. With that idea in mind, she approached Hitomi and carefully sat beside her before attempting to start a conversation.

"Hello, Hitomi-san."

She sheepishly smiled at the older woman who only took a side glance at her, not even bothering to move her head. Yuzu immediately noticed Hitomi's eyes, which much like her daughter's, was absolutely stunning especially from up close. Remembering Mei made her want to try even harder, like a suitor working hard to earn the blessing of her lover's parents.

"You know, Hitomi-san. You look so much like Mei, I was really surprised when I saw you." Yuzu giggled while she swung her legs back and forth.

"M-Mei?" Hitomi finally spoke, making sure to look in Yuzu's direction as she did. Her voice sounded hoarse, like an instrument that hasn't been used in a long time.

"Yup!"

"How do you know, Mei?"

'Crap.' Yuzu thought, unsure of how to answer that question. She couldn't exactly come out and say 'Well, I'm dating her!' nor could she say 'I love her!' So the blonde fumbled about, stammered and scratched her head while she tried to come up with a decent way to convey how much she loved Mei while not really letting on to the fact that they're an item.

"Uhm, I guess you can say that she's very important to me."

"I see. How is she?"

"She got into a lot of trouble for some time but she's okay now. Doesn't she come to visit you, Hitomi-san?"

Silence fell between them as Hitomi returned to staring at the distant sky. It felt like the older woman was thinking about something but Yuzu couldn't shake off the feeling that she had stepped on a landmine with the question she had just thrown at the woman. She definitely needed to be a bit more careful with what she yapped about.

"No. Her grandfather would not allow that." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I heard from both Mei and Kei but... is it because of the divorce?"

The woman shook her head and pointed towards the garden, "Do you see that?" She asked and the blonde shook her head.

"What about that? Do you hear it?" The blonde listened but she couldn't hear anything, so she shook her head again and a light chuckle sounded from Hitomi.

"Is that so? Well, as you can see, I'm not well. I see things and hear things that aren't there. It's not as bad today but there are times when I can't even distinguish from what's real and what isn't. Of course, the Aiharas wouldn't want me anywhere near Mei when I'm like this."

Hitomi's eyes were filled with sadness as she spoke those words. Yuzu loved her own mother dearly and she couldn't even imagine a life where she would be forbidden to see Ume. She could only guess the pain that Hitomi must be feeling at the separation and she wondered if Mei felt the same.

"Would you like to see her, Hitomi-san?" Yuzu asked without thought.

"I would give anything if I could." She answered.

"Hitomi-san, give me your hands."

Yuzu jumped off the engawa and stood in front of Hitomi, smiling at her. She opened her palms and extended them towards the older woman, inviting the latter to place her own into them. Hitomi looked unsure of the gesture and fidgetted uncomfortably as she reached out and retracted her hand a few times before finally placing them in the offered hands.

"Then I promise we'll come together once I finish my job. It might take a while but it's a promise!" Yuzu smiled at her, brimming with confidence.

"I'll hold you to that... Yuzu, was it?" She smiled at the blonde.

"Yup!"

This was also part of the happiness that Yuzu wanted to show Mei, something as simple as the smile on her mother's face that showed how despite the distance, she still kept Mei in her thoughts. Now she definitely couldn't fail at the task at hand, she promised after all and nothing would make her happier than to see the same smile on Mei's face.

"What are you two smiling about?" Kei asked as he lightly grabbed his mother's shoulder.

Curiously, the woman threw a fit at being touched and immediately swatted Kei's hand away, causing the man to lose his balance and fall on the floor. Luckily, Yuzu gripped tightly at Hitomi's other hand and prevented her from hitting Kei more than necessary. Yuzu understood at that point that Hitomi really wasn't as well as she initially thought the woman was. The violent reaction made sure she was aware of that fact.

When things finally calmed down, Hitomi apologized and the maid accompanied her as she prepared to leave. The older woman's pained expression was the last thing that Yuzu saw before she disappeared through the decorative divisions of the room.

"Sorry about that." Kei smiled while brushing his disheveled hair with his fingers, "Mother isn't usually so lively. I'm surprised she talked to you."

"I mentioned Mei and she just sort of started talking."

"Ah, so that's why." He lifted himself off the ground and extended a hand to help Yuzu back up the engawa, "Grandfather Aihara wouldn't allow Mother to visit Mei after her symptoms started showing, however, Mother truly loved Mei and the separation was hard on her. Since then she's gotten worse and now she's a shadow of her former self."

Yuzu gladly accepted the offered hand and allowed Kei to pull her up, "Your grandfather... he sounds worse every time I hear someone mention him."

"He's a businessman; The business comes first and the family takes the backseat." He shrugged.

"He was pretty upset about the whole Amemiya incident at the school. I got an earful for it so I guess he at least cares about Mei's well-being."

"Yuzu, that kindness will be your downfall. You know that the only reason he cares about Mei is because he wouldn't have a blood heir if something happened to her, right?"

"What about you?"

"I'm not qualified in his eyes." Kei sighed, "But good riddance! Imagine having to work so hard to please that old man!" He complained childishly before laughing.

"Hey, you're just as good as anyone!" Yuzu corrected him.

"Stop playing to my ego, blondie. It's not gonna get you out of owing me!"

Kei playfully pinched Yuzu's cheeks. The blonde struggled to get his strong grip off of her but Kei wouldn't let go until he was satisfied and that ended up being when Yuzu's face looked like it was permanently flustered with how red it was.

"Now, let's stop wasting time. Mei will be mad if you don't get home in time and god knows what she'd do if she thought those are cheek hickeys." He teased.

"WHAT?! Is that even a thing?!"

Yuzu was seriously troubled by Kei's joke but the man just laughed his heart out at her worries. Yuzu didn't peg Mei as the jealous type and with the thought now painted in her mind, she absolutely wanted to see what Mei would do if she ever got jealous. She remembered those scenes in shoujo mangas where the boyfriend would act aggressively whenever they got jealous and she could already picture Mei doing the same to her.

A rough kiss, hickeys, an undying confession of love and the violent tearing of her clothing; the perversion that eroded her mind was too much for Yuzu's innocence to handle. A blush quickly spread across her face to the point where she felt like steam would soon burst from her skin as she attempted to hide it by burying her face on her palms but it was too late, Kei had already noticed.

"Yuzu, Stop thinking perverted thoughts about my sister when you're around me!"

"I-I-I wasn't! T-that's not true!"

"You're a terrible liar!"

Yuzu kept stuttering while she tried to defend herself and deny all perverted allegations that Kei threw at her. It wasn't even weird to have these types of thoughts towards someone you love and she knew that, but somehow it just felt so wrong to be picturing these things while being at Kei's house and having just met their mother.

"Whatever! Let's move on." Kei moved a few of the folders towards Yuzu's side, "Here. This is everything we've gathered the past few days."

Yuzu gladly took the files and started reading through them. The reports were populated with information on the Udagawa family's business, their assets, the businesses they held and the partners that they kept close. It also detailed their investments such as real estate, medicine, and technology but nothing really stood out except for the fact that they're partners with the Momokinos while the Aiharas were absent from the list.

"No business relations with the Aiharas?" Yuzu asked.

"None that we can find. I guess they don't see any profit in education."

With the business files done, Yuzu moved on to previous cases against the Udagawas which was a staggering zero. No one had filed a complaint against them for the last 20 years and the last one was a simple misconduct charge which stemmed from a parking violation - hardly anything worth mentioning but like she was told before, they're a rich and powerful family. If even families like the Aiharas and the Yukimuras would tread lightly around them then smaller players wouldn't even dare dream of it.

The blonde kept looking back and forth on all of the pieces of paper she received from Kei but none of them had any information she could go on. They owned a lot of real estates and maybe they owned some of the buildings where the Doll Maker victims were found but without any concrete connection, that was as good as useless. It was definitely odd and Yuzu felt like maybe she went in ahead of herself because there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The Udagawas were normal, just so normal that it was suspicious then again that might just be the paranoia talking.

Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows and released a long and loud sigh at the disappointment she had arrived at. She really held her breath for this and the last thing she expected was to have nothing to show for after asking for Kei's help again.

"You look troubled, Miss Blonde. Jane Blonde." He quipped at her after noticing her frustration.

"That's a terrible pun, you know?"

"Then maybe this will help?"

Kei pushed the final folder towards Yuzu and she quickly accepted it, making sure to take in all the information inside it. The very first page immediately caught her attention, it was a detailed report on Udagawa Yasu's activities and it even included his pictures, where he's been during the past few days and what he's been doing. The photos told a lot, Udagawa had been seen around the location where Mio was found and this was definitely something worth looking into.

"This is the place where Homura Mio's body was found." She showed the image to Kei, "Do you know what he's doing there?"

"I'm not sure. According to my informant, he's been going around that place for days."

"But Matsuri said he was busy taking care of family-related business..."

Yuzu's fear multiplied with every photo that she passed through. There were images of Udagawa appearing in a lot of shady locations; some of them being places near where a Doll Maker victim was found. Finally, the last photo was what shocked Yuzu the most - Udagawa Yasu, the Aihara patriarch and another older man were all present in the same photo. Eating at some high-class restaurant.

"Hey, Kei. What's this?"

"He's the second son but he's still an Udagawa. My guess would be that he's attending in his brother's place since the older one is abroad on business. It's possible for him to substitute in place of his older brother if the latter isn't present. Besides, they might be looking to invest in the Aiharas. If that's the case, then meetings like this are nor-"

Kei was interrupted by the sudden buzzing of Yuzu's phone and the blonde excused herself to answer the call. She realized that the number wasn't registered on her mobile but she decided to answer anyway, in case it was important.

"Hello?"

"This is Momokino Himeko. Is this Okogi Yuzu's number?" The caller asked.

"Momokino-san? What's up? Did something happen? I never thought I'd ever get a call from you."

"HMPH! I didn't call you because I wanted to, you delinquent. I called because Mei-Mei will be staying over with me and she thought it would be prudent to let you know."

"Oh... did something happen?" Yuzu asked nervously.

"No, we're just having a regular sleepover."

"I see. Okay, Momokino-san. Can I say hi to Mei before you go?"

"That's not possible, she's sleeping right now but I'll be sure to tell her when she wakes up."

"All right. Please take care of her then."

"I don't need you to tell me that!" Himeko shouted before ending the call.

It was unusual for Mei to be staying out and sleeping at another person's place but Yuzu understood that the raven-haired girl was probably trying to relax with a friend for the night. The weekend was already here anyway and Yuzu was nothing short of happy that Mei finally started listening to her about unwinding and having a little more fun.

She may not have been able to speak to Mei but she could at least send her a message: Have fun Mei~ I'll miss you. (ﾉ∀` ), a simple message but she hoped it would convey to her lover that her presence would be missed even if she was only gone for a night.

"Who was it?" Kei asked when Yuzu returned to the room.

"Just Momokino-san. Mei's staying over at her place and she just wanted to let me know."

"Oh dear. Lover's quarrel already? My offer still stands if she cheats on you."

"Stop that. She wouldn't... right?" Yuzu asked nervously, making Kei laugh in the process.

"Who knows?" He teased her further.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Absolutely." Kei grinned at her.

"Anyway, it's getting late so I'll head back. Can I take these with me?"

"Feel free."

"Thanks. I'll call you if I have any questions and say goodbye to Hitomi-san for me."

Yuzu took the documents and excused herself. She insisted that Kei didn't need to lead her out of the house since she remembered which corners they took when she arrived. Coming up at the entrance, Yuzu slid out of the guest slippers and started putting her own sneakers back on.

"Miss."

A voice called out to her from behind and she turned to see who was addressing her. Behind her stood a girl which she immediately recognized as the maid who escorted Hitomi back to her room, "Hi! Is there something you need?" She asked with a warm smile.

"No, miss. I just wanted to thank you for coming today. I've never seen the mistress with a smile on her face or the young master for that matter."

"Kei? but he's always cheerful like that." Yuzu held her chin and wondered what the maid was talking about, she had never seen Kei as anything other than the cheerful goofball that he was.

"That's not true, miss. He has his moments but often times he's quiet and reserved. Quietly burying himself in school or work and taking care of business. That's why I wanted to thank you for being kind to the young master." She bowed politely.

Yuzu scratched the side of her neck in embarrassment as the maid continued to bow politely towards her. She was just being herself and she didn't see any reason why she deserved this type of gratitude for simply being who she was, "No, no. If anything I should be thanking him for the help." She tried to correct the maid but it fell on deaf ears.


	46. Chapter 45: Beyond One's Limit

Golden strands of hair adhered to pale, yet flushed skin as labored breathes resounded in the dead of the night. Bending over, Yuzu supported her weight by clutching onto her own knees; hours of running around and visiting every place that Udagawa Yasu had been sighted at was tiring work - extremely tiring, to be exact.

She heaved and leaned against a fence; the cold metal mesh imprinted itself on her back as she rested on it, giving her some minor discomfort but not an unwelcome one considering the heat that radiated from her body. Breathing raggedly, her parched throat demanded to be quenched but there was barely 100 ml of water left in her bottle and with no convenience store nearby, all she could do was be thankful there was even any left at all.

The blonde quickly downed whatever was left of her drink. She hasn't taken a break since leaving Kei's house, the information she received from him was lacking but it gave her a new lead to pursue and tonight was the perfect opportunity to do some field work. With Mei sleeping over at Himeko's and all, at least she didn't have to worry about leaving her raven-haired lover alone at night.

Stubbornness was always one of her stronger traits, which could be both a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation. For example, she knew that running around like a headless chicken would do nothing except tire her out but she still wanted to do it. There was just that feeling of wanting to do something... anything at this point, and it wouldn't let her rest easy until she actually went out and looked around with her own two eyes.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Kei's information, she was thankful for it but it wasn't as detailed as she'd hoped it would be. After all, when someone brandishes the word 'espionage' to your face, you're bound to come with some twisted spy-like level of expectation and when that didn't come into fruition... well, the feeling of disappointment was unavoidable. Her efforts weren't entirely for nothing though, she had the opportunity to ask around and even showed Udagawa's picture to a few locals, hoping someone would be able to identify him and tell her what he was doing in the area. Sure enough, Udagawa was recognized by a few people from the different locations that Yuzu had visited. However, the one that was the most meaningful was the witnesses she found near the laundromat.

It was the same laundromat as the one where Amemiya's contacts were supposed to be working in and according to the witnesses Udagawa has been coming in and out of the area for more than a week already. His first sighting, as one witness confirmed, was a few days before a dead body was found at a nearby river. Yuzu's immediate thoughts were that of Homura Mio as she was the only murder reported in that area.

The more Yuzu investigated, the more suspicious Udagawa Yasu's actions became. His connection to Amemiya's contacts, appearing at the location of Homura Mio's murder before the crime even happened and his involvement with Amemiya himself. There wasn't much in the way of defending Udagawa at this point. As much as it pained Yuzu to accuse someone whom she thought of as a friend, it seemed as though her suspicions against him had already gone past baseless accusations.

Having rested enough, she decided to continue with her work. The thought of Homura Mio had given the blonde a reason to visit her home, hoping she would find something among the woman's possession that might give her a deeper insight as to _who_ Udagawa Yasu really was. The police had already conducted an investigation into the Homura residence after Makoto's incident and a second one was launched after Mio's body was found but there was nothing out of the ordinary. There were no broken items and no signs of forced entry, everything was in perfect order.

In hindsight, it was a lapse of judgment to not have tested the hair strands that could've been easily found inside the house. It turns out that Amemiya had been living with the Homuras after he was banished by his father and if that was true, then his DNA and prints would be all over the place. Yuzu wondered if the results of the DNA match would've been different if they had tested against Amemiya during Makoto's incident but obviously no one would've ever thought that the two cases were related. There are a few mixed residents in Japan but the vast majority of the population still had black hair and women preferred to keep their styles long, plus the Aihara family is sure to have enemies and competitors that would've loved to hurt them.

It was no one's fault that they didn't think of the connection earlier but it was suspicious that Hibiki suddenly decided to compare the samples. Then again, it's a question of when exactly the samples were switched if indeed they were.

Coming up the flight of stairs, Yuzu made her way to the apartment in question. If anything had been bogging her mind down, it would be the thought of why Udagawa was revisiting the scenes of his crime, considering he was guilty, that is. A bitter chuckle sounded from the blonde's lips as she thought of what a friend of hers once said: 'The culprit always returns to the scene of his crime!' the girl would always say, blue eyes filled with excitement and cheeks looking particularly flushed due to her white hair. It's been years but she still remembered the girl vividly, not like she could ever forget.

The blonde's attention was quickly stolen when she noticed that a faint light was shining through the door of the Homura residence. Makoto and Mio were orphans and Amemiya is definitely dead, so who would be visiting their home at this hour? Without losing a single heartbeat, she approached the door, trying to listen in if anyone was really inside or if some lousy police officer might've left a flashlight in there.

Creeping slowly, she gently pressed her ear closer to the door. She held her breath in an attempt to hear better, her gun cocked and ready just in case, but no sound came. The silence continued for a few minutes until finally, the sound of soft rustling paper emanated from inside and soon after that footsteps started walking around. She could play safe and call for back-up then wait for them to arrive but then she might miss the opportunity to apprehend the intruder, not like he's going to wait around.

Yuzu inhaled sharply, as she always did whenever she was about to do something stupid. In one swift motion, Yuzu kicked the door down and pointed her gun inside, "Don't move!" She shouted at the figure. She scrambled to get a better view of the intruder but the darkness and his hat had prevented her from doing so. The only thing she was sure of was that 'it' was a _he_ and that _he_ wasn't an idiot. The man quickly shone the light directly at Yuzu's eyes, blinding her long enough for him to push past her and run out the door.

"Oh no, you don't!" Yuzu shouted in the man's direction and proceeded to chase after him.

Through the fire escape and towards the back the alley, she was hot on his heels. The man was fast but he was also clumsy. There were even a few times when he tripped over a few boxes scattered around the narrow path but he was also quick in wits, often knocking down whatever he could use to slow the blonde down.

"Stop!" She commanded as they exited the alley.

The man paid him no heed and kept running across the street; it was already half past 1 and there wasn't a soul out there. Yuzu cursed at the world, it would've been so easy to stop the man if there were more people that could block his path or if her legs weren't so damn uncooperative thanks to the strain they had gone through. She did her best to catch up but it was pointless and the man got away from her, disappearing as he entered into the alley on the other side.

Yuzu followed him and looked around but he was nowhere to be found and she was already at her limit. She struggled to catch her breath, the burning sensation in her throat was aggravated by the cold air which felt like icy daggers passing through her windpipe. Collapsing on all fours, she hammered both of her fists into the ground, unable to forgive herself for her own incompetence - this was already the second time she lost a potential suspect and she felt nothing but hatred towards herself.

She took deep breaths and counted to ten, a technique she used to whenever she was too wound up and unable to snap out of it. By the time she reached ten, she felt a bit calmer and her mind was a lot clearer. First things, first. She needed to know what that man wanted from the Homura residence and for that, she needed to return to the apartment.

Yuzu wobbled on her way back, she was had already gone past her limit and her body was shouting protests because of it. She needed to rest, that much was obvious, but she wouldn't allow herself to. She was confident in the fact that she could ignore her physical pain but not the mental ones that would not cease until she knew who that man was and what he was doing here, however, she wasn't going to be stubborn about it either. Yuzu knew that in her current state she wouldn't be able to perform as effectively as she wished, so with no other choice, she called Harumi and asked the girl for help.

The blonde immediately started combing through the insurmountable amount of items left in the apartment, she was looking for anything that might be out of place since the last time she had gone there but she didn't find any. The only change was the stack of mail that was eagerly waiting for the tenants to return.

"There must be something," Yuzu told herself as she continued rummaging from room to room. There was no way nothing was taken. Why would the intruder come here if he wasn't planning on taking anything?

Harumi arrived an hour and a half into desperation, looking like she had gone through hell and back to get there. Admittedly this was a bit far from the plum-haired girl's home and Yuzu understood that. By this time, the blonde had already given in to her exhaustion and kept herself seated on the floor, her back firmly against the wall.

"Yuzu-cchi?! Are you okay?" The plum-haired girl hurriedly kneeled beside Yuzu.

"Y-yeah. Just a little tired." She smiled at her friend, "Sorry for calling you out here at this time."

"It's no problem but what's all this about?"

"Mei slept over at Momokino-san's. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to look around so I came here but someone was already inside." A half-lie. The blonde couldn't tell Harumi of Kei's involvement so she conveniently left out the documents she had received from him and her visit to the Yukimura estate.

"That's great and all, Yuzu-cchi but you wouldn't look that dead if it was just that." Harumi gave her a questioning look.

"That's exactly it. The guy ran and I chased him but he got away."

"What?! Why didn't you call for back-up? You could've been hurt!" Harumi was apprehensive and clearly unhappy with Yuzu's decision.

"I could've taken him, you know that."

"No, I don't. I would've believed you could if it wasn't for the fact that Amemiya almost killed you once!"

Yuzu lowered her head, in the end, her inability was really showing to the point that even Harumi was getting worried about her. She just wanted everything to go her way for once but the world was clearly more than just against her, it was even out to get her.

"Sorry, that was harsh. I know you're doing your best." Harumi apologized after seeing the glum look on the blonde's face, "All I'm saying is... try to lean on us a bit more, yeah? Even that pink devil is worried." She gave Yuzu a melancholic smile.

"What are you saying, Harumin? I've been leaning on you two a lot. I'm even asking for your help right now."

Harumi wanted to speak out. She wanted to call the blonde's bluff and tell the girl to spill everything but she couldn't, "All right. What did you bother my beauty sleep for?" was all the plum-haired girl could utter back.

"My guess is that the intruder wanted to take something." Yuzu stood up and walked towards the door, "He was here when I broke the door down but it was completely dark and I didn't see any objects lying around when I came back."

"You think it might've been the same guy from the restaurant? The one who was listening to our conversation?" Harumi asked, remembering the incident and how they never found out who it was.

"No, that guy was a lot more- er... professional. This guy was a total klutz, he nearly tripped a few times while running away from me."

"And you still didn't catch him? Wow."

Yuzu could hear the playfulness in Harumi's voice but she knew that the plum-haired girl was alluding to the fact that the blonde wouldn't have failed to catch someone as clumsy as that, "I walked around a lot before I came here. Don't judge me, Harumin." She replied in an equally playful tone as her lies piled up.

"Whatever you say, Yuzu-cchi." Harumi pouted.

'Sorry, Harumin.' Yuzu apologized internally as she looked at her friend who had already started looking through the mail that was scattered on the floor.

The blonde squinted her eyes, noticing that her vision was getting blurry. She had been feeling lightheaded for a while now and she wondered if she had pushed her body to the upper limit. Rubbing her eyes in hopes of getting her vision to focus wasn't helping at all and at this point even her knees were beginning to lose strength.

"Hmm? Yuzu-cchi, are you okay?" Harumi turned to her.

"Y-yeah. I'm fi-"

"Yuzu-cchi!" Harumi bolted from her spot.

"Damn it." She mumbled as her consciousness faded.


	47. Chapter 46: Ever so Endearing

The state in between conscious and unconscious is one of total bliss. The feeling of being serene and peaceful yet still aware of your surroundings is a sinful one that tricks the mind and body into believing that you have no worries, problems, or responsibilities - in other words, it's the serpent which slowly weans you into abandoning all of your senses in exchange for the illusion of safety and security. It was a temptation that Yuzu gladly accepted as she shifted under the duvet. Her body heat created a haven in which she could take solace from the bitter cold that that came from an open window.

She didn't like the cold, in fact, she hated it and if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of winterwear was absolutely adorable, she'd wish that snow didn't exist. Yuzu buried her head under the covers along with the rest of her. There was no way she would stand for this discomfort when her body already ached enough as it is. All she wanted to do was stay wrapped up like this and never move again but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

'thud, thud, thud' footsteps sounded from the corridor, quickly approaching the door. Yuzu wanted to pretend like she didn't hear it and that it didn't exist but the slamming of the door made that very difficult to do. Still half-asleep, she heard someone talking but her brain didn't want to bother with it so all she understood were jumbled syllables like 'Yu,' 'Wa,' and 'idi,' the last of which she understood to be 'idiot.'

The blonde shifted under her warm sanctuary and it seemed like the act only annoyed her visitor even more because not even a second passed and her covers were taken from her, exposing her pale flushed skin to the cold she despised so much.

"Yuzu!" Mei looked at the blonde, her brows so close together that it almost looked like a unibrow.

Yuzu's eyes lazily fluttered open as she struggled to get herself upright on the bed. Taking one glance at her lover, she rubbed her eyes a few times before pointing and giggling at Mei's 'unibrow,' much to the latter's annoyance.

"There's no way that Mei's here. She's at Momokino-san's, this must be a dream." The blonde said, still half-conscious.

Mei couldn't control her temper anymore, she was about to completely lose it and the stupid comments from the stupid blonde were just riling her up even more. She reached out to the girl, fully prepared to teach her a very, _very_ , _VERY_ painful lesson but Yuzu had other plans. Seems as though the blonde was more than lucid enough to catch Mei's hand mid-action and she was definitely strong enough to pull her into bed.

"Let me go this instant!" Mei protested, trying to get rid the golden sloth that latched onto her.

"But it's cold and you took my blanket. I'll just use you to warm myself up." The girl smiled sheepishly, burying her face in the hollow of Mei's shoulder.

Mei wanted to protest but it was obvious that Yuzu had a fever, which was probably the reason why the blonde's brain was even more scrambled than usual, "I'm gone for a day and you somehow get yourself sick?" Mei scoffed and waited for an answer but none came. She turned to get a good look at the blonde and realized that the girl had already dozed off again.

A few attempts to break free was made but clearly, Mei wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Yuzu was holding onto her too tightly and it was impossible to pry the blonde off unless Mei was willing to risk disturbing the girl's sleep. The raven-haired girl wasn't heartless, even if she wanted to be she couldn't find it in herself to deny Yuzu these small comforts. Resigning herself to fate, she allowed the blonde to use her as a warmer, carefully throwing the blanket over their bodies to help keep her idiotic lover warm.

It would be some time before Yuzu woke up but there was no need to get her any medicine, Harumi had been kind enough to take care of that before leaving the blonde in the morning. According to Harumi, the blonde had been working herself to death but there was nothing serious about her condition and it was simply exhaustion. Mei was thankful that her ex-classmate had gone through the trouble of informing her about Yuzu's condition and circumstances.

'Stupid Yuzu.' She thought. Her anger was rising again and she didn't care about disturbing the blonde's sleep this time, however, one simple gaze upon that angelic face bathing in the sunlight had somehow calmed her nerves, though at the same time it made her heart beat like crazy. She took deep breaths, not wanting to show this side of hers to Yuzu or maybe it was that she didn't want the girl to know about what she kept deep inside.

"This is too much," Mei whispered under her breath as she closed her eyes.

A few hours later and Yuzu's eyes fluttered open only to be greeted by an empty bed. Disappointment washed over her, she hoped that little dream of hers was real but obviously Mei would never lay on the same bed as her and it was even less likely that her lover would accept some cuddles. Mei wouldn't even share a proper kiss with Yuzu, often pulling away after a minute or two which was very damaging to the blonde's ego. Maybe Mei was bored with her attempts because she was that bad of a kisser - how depressing.

Pulling herself across the spacious bed, Yuzu willed herself to get up. The sun was already setting, which meant she had slept through the entire day - effectively wasting time. Collecting herself, the blonde stood up, checked her balance and headed for the door once she was confident that she wouldn't fall over. Yesterday was a disaster, she had collapsed at the Homura residence and Harumi had to drag her down through the staircase all by herself, an apology and some gratitude was definitely in order.

Twisting the knob, she slowly cracked the bedroom door open and a delicious aroma immediately welcomed her. The scent was that of garlic, parsley, and onions, she didn't know what was being cooked or who was doing the cooking but whoever it was, Yuzu loved them for cooking something just as she was feeling famished.

Inside the kitchen, tied raven-hair danced as its owner moved from one side of the kitchen to the other. Sharp amethyst eyes making sure that everything was in order before scooping up a serving of chicken noodle soup into one of the larger bowls. Mei had never cooked on her own before but having a recipe on hand made the experience a lot easier. Flipping burgers and stuff like that was difficult and more technical but apparently, making soup was something relatively easy to do, even for a beginner.

Mei removed her apron and returned it to its usual spot just below the counter. She then organized the soup, tea and some peeled apple slices on a tray before proceeding to carry it, "M-Mei?" the blonde's voice called out, leaving her a little startled and embarrassed. Mei had planned on lying about cooking the meal but she seemed to have been caught redhanded.

"Yuzu, why are you out of bed?" She looked at the blonde as if to reprimand the girl for getting up.

"Ah- Ah? I-I just woke up and I thought I smelled something go-"

"Get back to bed. Now." She demanded and followed up with a quick glare to reinforce the command.

"But! I'm completely fine!" Yuzu made a show of stretching her arms up as far as she could reach to prove her point.

"You were burning up with a 38-degree fever earlier, do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was to sleep beside you? And under covers at that."

"What?" Yuzu had a dumbfounded expression on her face and it quickly turned into doom when she realized that she wasn't dreaming when she forcefully pulled Mei in, "So I?"

"You did."

"I'm sorry..."

Mei looked like she was angry about the entire thing and Yuzu couldn't help but apologize. It was embarrassing, she yearned for this type of affection from the raven-haired girl but to push your wants and needs onto another person was an entirely different matter.

"It's fine. Just go back to bed." Mei sighed.

"I can eat on the table, Mei. I'll help set it up."

"No, just... can you just listen?!" Mei slammed her palm on the counter. Yuzu's attitude was really getting to her and she didn't have much patience to begin with, not to mention she was still pissed about Yuzu collapsing.

"But-"

"I can do this much, Yuzu." She answered with annoyance. Somehow it felt like Yuzu was treating her like a helpless newborn and she didn't like it one bit, "Can you please just return to your room? I'll follow shortly." She asked once more and this time Yuzu complied.

"All right."

Yuzu waited patiently in the bedroom, she was still embarrassed about the whole thing that happened this morning and being in bed only made the memory more vivid. If any other choice was presented to her, she'd take it in a heartbeat but an angry Mei is a scary Mei and she didn't want to infuriate her lover any further than this.

It didn't take long for Mei to knock on the bedroom door and enter with a tray of food. Yuzu wanted to get up and help her but a quick sway of the hand and Mei had made it known that no help was necessary. Placing the tray on the bedside, Mei carried the bowl of soup and Yuzu stretched her arm out, waiting to be handed the bowl but instead what was offered to her was a spoonful of food.

"M-Mei, I-I can eat by myself..." She stuttered, her heart threatening to jump out of her throat. Mei was acting... different and it was absolutely adorable.

"It's fine. Just eat." Mei moved the spoon towards Yuzu's mouth, urging the girl to open up.

Yuzu was unable to refuse after seeing that look on Mei's face. The very same look that made which was a mixture of anger and worry, like she found it embarrassing to do these things but she felt like she Yuzu would end up hurting herself with a spoon if she didn't do it for the blonde. Yuzu didn't care, she found it cute and being pampered by Mei was more than she could ever ask for so she gladly opened her mouth for every spoonful until the soup was all gone.

"Yuzu... why are you doing this?" Mei spoke as she rested the spoon inside the empty bowl.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. Why are you working yourself until you're sick like this?"

Yuzu looked at Mei, it wasn't surprising. Of course, Mei would've known what happened, Harumi called her after all and maybe there wasn't a point to lying at this point but she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. Apparently, when you lie for the sake of others, it becomes harder to come clean. Especially if you haven't reached the goal that you've been chasing after.

"That's not it. I just walked around a bit too much and I guess I tired myself out." Yuzu scratched the back of her neck and smiled softly.

"Stop it."

The blonde wasn't able to catch what Mei said, it was a little too weak to be audible, "Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn't catch i-"

"I said stop it!" Mei dropped everything she was holding and pounced on the blonde, fingers clutching tightly at the collar of the girl's shirt. She forcefully pushed the Yuzu down and pressed the girl further into the mattress with her weight, "Why are you lying with that smile on your face?"

Mei looked directly into Yuzu's eyes. Long strands of raven hair curtaining around her melancholic features, hiding it from the from the sights of everyone except the one whom her frustration was directed at, "Do you know how worried I was when Taniguchi-san called me? Do you know how I felt when she told me you've been working hard these days or that you collapsed because of it?" Tears started pouring and they wouldn't stop.

"You told me there was nothing to worry about and I believed you." Mei buried her face on the hollow of Yuzu's neck and pounded her right fist into the pillow beside the blonde's head, "Just when... when did you change so much that I couldn't even tell how heavy you've been burdening yourself?"

Yuzu's heart broke into a million pieces at seeing Mei cry like this. She wrapped her arms around her lover and pulled the girl down flush against her own body, so much that she could feel how cold Mei's skin was compared to her own - a clear sign she was still unwell though her heart felt like it was in an even worse state.

"I'm sorry, Mei." She buried her nose into Mei's hair. ' _I'm really sorry, Mei but until this is over..._ ' "But there really isn't anything to worry about. I just got a little bit over my head. I promise I'll be more careful from now on, okay?"

Yuzu searched blindly for Mei's hand and interlocked her fingers into the latter's after she found it, "I'm not going anywhere, so don't cry anymore. How can I leave you when I love you this much!" She proudly boasted.

"Stupid." That description was a collection of many things; stupid Yuzu for continuing her lie, stupid Yuzu for not leaning on others, Stupid Yuzu for acting tough like this, stupid Yuzu for loving her so much and stupid for the way she was going to continue trusting Yuzu even though she knew she should be more apprehensive about the matter.

"I know I'm stupid and idiotic but don't leave because of it, okay?"

Mei allowed herself to be lost in Yuzu's embrace, she allowed her fingers to fit perfectly into the blonde's and she allowed her heart to beat in sync with the person she cherished the most. Maybe it wouldn't be forever but even if just for now, "Of course."

"You promise?"

"I do."

While one pair shared a tender moment, another pair was hard at work and cursing at each other while they did. Harumi had taken Matsuri out to help her look for whatever was missing from the Homura home and the younger girl wasn't very happy about having to do fieldwork especially when it wasn't with Yuzu. It took nearly the entire day to compare police images against the current state of the house and despite the effort, all they found was that one of the photos in the main hall was missing - a photo of the Homura siblings during a trip to Okinawa.

"We wasted an entire day and _this_ is all we got?! I blame you for this. Give me back my time, Taniguchi-senpai!" Matsuri complained as they entered the police station.

"Hey! Don't blame me! It was Yuzu-cchi's assumption in the first place and we don't know if this might be important besi-" Harumi was so absorbed in her argument that she didn't pay attention to where she was going, causing her to collide with the person who was walking towards the door.

"Sorry." She looked up at the man and realized that it was Kurosawa but he didn't even pay attention to her and just kept walking straight out of the door. It was odd compared to his usual irate attitude.

"That guy is so... ugh." Matsuri rolled her eyes after remembering what Kurosawa told her when they bumped into each other at the evidence room. She never forgot how he was rude enough to insinuate that she was acting superior because of her father's position and that ticked her off more than anything.

"Leave him alone." Goro scolded her, "He's been going through a lot."

"That lazy waste of tax?" Matsuri scoffed.

Goro sighed and looked sternly at the pink-haired troublemaker, "His wife has been sick for nearly two decades and now he gets a call that she's... anyway, just give him a break will you?"

"I didn't know about that... Kinda makes me feel bad for him." Harumi felt a tinge of guilt at how poorly she thought of Kurosawa, even though her dislike wasn't unfounded.

"Eh~ So even someone like that has problems." In sharp contrast to Harumi, the troublemaker didn't feel a shred of sympathy towards the man but she did feel bad for his wife.

"Mizusawa you..." Goro rubbed his temples in frustration. Matsuri isn't a bad girl but her tongue really didn't know how to hold back. "In any case, where's Okogi? I didn't see her all day."

"Yuzu-cchi is sick, Goro-senpai. I thought I texted you..." Harumi whipped out her phone and started scrolling through the messages only to realize that she never sent it, "Oops. I guess I forgot. Sorry." She apologized.

"Never mind. Just tell her to rest and get well. That idiot has been getting a little too excited lately and I'm worried she's going to get in trouble. Make sure to keep an eye on her and tell me if she's doing anything reckless."

"Yes, sir." The two girls answered in unison.

* * *

Notes:

Why can't the world just invent something that proofreads everything for me? I'm sorry if there are mistakes, I just like to lazily go over these things.

I'm not ignoring the concerns in the reviews BTW. I just don't wanna spoil anything because what's the fun in that.


	48. Chapter 47: The Hatter's Tea Party

Dark clouds hung low, weighed down by the amount of water that they carried in preparation for the incoming rain. It was the type of gloomy weather where you can't help but expect something horrible to happen and that would be the exact case for a young couple who stumbled upon the scene of a double homicide while trying to break into an abandoned factory. An unfortunate day indeed.

The couple narrated their story in which they told the detectives that they've been frequenting the spot for a little over a year now. Though they swear that they haven't visited the location for more than a month, until today. When pressed on _what_ they did there, the witnesses remained silent but rolled up pieces of leaves packed in a ziplock was more than enough to give Harumi and Yuzu a rough idea on what they were planning to do before they found the bodies.

The detectives didn't want to bother with a couple of potheads when they had a murder on their hands. The couple could call it their lucky day because, on any other occasion, Yuzu and Harumi would've slapped their sorry asses with a possession charge. It was a vice case anyway, which was out of their jurisdiction and as Goro says: Leave the vice to the vice boys.

"So, let me get this straight. When you arrived the van was already here?" The man nodded and Yuzu continued, "Also, you usually enter through a window but this time the factory door was unlocked, so you took a peek inside through it?" Another nod of confirmation, "And you didn't see anything unusual until you reached the back of the factory where you found the dead bodies, correct?"

"Yes." the man answered, still visibly shaken by what he saw inside.

"Did you see anyone else or anything suspicious while you were in there?" Harumi chimed in.

"Not that I remember... what about you honey?" The man looked at his lover, trying to coax the girl into joining in.

"N-no. I don't think so..." She answered after a while. The man may have been shaking but the woman was utterly terrified. She wouldn't even stop screaming for a good while until Yuzu somehow managed to calm her down, albeit just enough to conduct an interview. Blonde Magic, Harumi used to call it. Alluding to how Yuzu's warm personality was something akin to a magic spell.

"What about the van, did you touch it?" Yuzu asked as she tried to make sense of what could've happened here. Clearly, the van was brought by the victims since the culprit wouldn't have left it out in the open if it belonged to them.

"No, We took a peek inside but it was empty. I swear we didn't touch it!"

"Calm down, please. We're not here to bust you, that's vice's job. We're just here to know what happened." Harumi tried to disperse the tension.

"That's really all we know. Can we go now?" The man had been doing most of the talking and he was clearly worried about something. Whether that was his lover's condition or the weed in his pocket was anyone's guess.

"I'm sorry, sir. We might have to hold you for questioning but I promise you can go as soon as we're done." Yuzu gave the couple the most reassuring smile she could muster.

"Okogi!" Goro's voice sounded on the desolate field as he waved for his juniors to join him inside.

"Excuse us." The blonde told the couple before leaving them.

The duo walked side by side until they reached the factory entrance. It's a mystery why anyone would try to break in through any other means when the old thing was practically falling apart. The door itself, though made of metal, looked like one kick would bring it down along with a section of the wall. Despite the previous observation, a more thorough one was required and that entailed noticing that the lock on the door had been cut with a bolt cutter, something Yuzu made sure to make a mental note of.

Inside the factory, the stench of death was already ripe. They say that the first time you smell a dead body will be the last time you'd ever be able to forget what it smelled like; any words used to describe the pungent odor will pale in comparison to actually breathing in the foul odor. The smell of a rotting animal is a walk in a park compared to that of a rotting human, mostly because of how much there 'meat' there is.

Yuzu looked around the factory, it seemed like this place had been a slaughterhouse in the past but clearly, it's nothing more than a home for rodents and all manner of insects now. Everything from the rusted tables to the dusty equipment had been left inside the factory; rows and rows of what was once meat cutting stations and table saws still lined up and ready to be used at any time.

"Ugh." Yuzu's head was spinning despite being yards away from ground zero. The stench was so bad that she worried about Mei kicking her out of the apartment when she comes home smelling like a rotting corpse. Surprisingly, she was also confident that her lover would do no such thing, mostly because of how the girl's been acting lately.

Over the past 3 days, Mei had been constantly at Yuzu's side as she nursed the blonde back to health. Yuzu's condition wasn't even that bad but Mei insisted on doing everything for her. She cooked for Yuzu, cleaned for Yuzu, helped Yuzu change in and out of clothes, which was very awkward for the blonde but they somehow managed. Mei even insisted on helping Yuzu bathe but that was the hard limit for the blonde, she wasn't comfortable with letting Mei see her bare skin... not yet, at least.

The bliss didn't end there. During the first night, Mei would get up after every hour and check up on Yuzu, much to the blonde's dismay. She appreciated the worry but she didn't want Mei to lose on her sleeping hours either. It didn't take long for them to come to an agreement and that ended up being something along the lines of sleeping together in the same room, on the same bed - their backs facing each other. It was a temporary measure though and as soon as Yuzu's condition got better, Mei returned to her own bedroom.

The sudden increase of affection made Yuzu question if this was a good thing or much like all other things in life, she was being given the good parts first so the bad ones could utterly crush her when it came. Something like the calm before the storm or whatever you'd like to call it. Not that it mattered right now because the stench became thicker as she inched closer to where Goro was. It was becoming so overwhelming that she could even taste it, causing her to gag on reflex.

"Okogi, you've been with us for a while now. How are you still not used to this?" Goro asked disapprovingly. Obviously, he was pretty much immune to it since he didn't even flinch despite standing so close to the corpses.

"More like how can you get used to this, Goro-senpai?" Harumi was the one to answer, her speech distorted by the way she pinched her nostrils shut - not like that helped much in terms of blocking the smell.

Yuzu approached the actual crime scene and immediately saw the rotting corpses of two men, she recognized them. It was the two guys she had been looking for, the guys from the laundromat that Udagawa Yasu visited and the same ones who have been in contact with Amemiya. By the state of decomposition, it was obvious that both of them had been dead for at least a couple of days. No wonder she couldn't find them anywhere.

"Hibiki, let's make this quick before Okogi throws up all over the crime scene. And you, Okogi, run outside if you feel like throwing up. Got it?" Goro looked sternly at Yuzu. He was serious about that request.

"Yes, don't worry Goro-senpai. I know the protocol."

"Good."

"All right. So the victims have been identified as Yamamoto Yuuta, on the left and Yamamoto Eiji, on the right. As you might have guessed from the surname, they're brothers and I don't have a background for you so you're going to have to find those yourselves, detectives." Hibiki joked, referring to how she had already given them in terms on names or whatnot.

Yuzu looked at the corpses in front of her. The brothers looked absolutely disgusting with their bluish skin and bloated appearance. The only reason why Yuzu even recognized them was because they still somewhat resembled their photos on the phone lease, particularly, their hairstyles which remained the same. The most disturbing thing about this whole scene was the fact that the brothers seemed like they were enjoying a meal together. The blonde was convinced that whoever did this had a sick fantasy of recreating their childhood tea parties.

"So, as usual, I'll need to do a thorough exam but I can tell you what I found for now. They've been dead for at least a week, which is why the smell is so bad in here. Sorry, Okogi." She nodded in Yuzu's direction, "The one on the left, Yuuta, had his throat slit. You can see that from this long slash over here," She pulled the sweater's collar down to show the corpse's neck, "which is a little hard to notice because of the bloating and his clothes."

Hibiki pointed at the gnarly wound that stretched a few inches across the corpse's neck, just above what would've been his Adam's apple. The turtleneck sweater that the victim was wearing would've completely kept the wound out of sight if it hadn't been for the fact that the entire thing was drenched in blood. There was also the fact that there's a tear on the collar, just on top of where the wound was.

"You probably noticed it already but anyway... the perp seems to have cut his throat through the collar of his sweater." Hibiki ran her finger through the gash on the neck, replicating the exact place where the knife would've been and what position it was held in.

"Bound arms and legs, blood on the table. He was killed while sitting down?" Yuzu asked after noticing the details she had pointed out. She also noticed that there was no other splatter nor pools of blood aside from whatever was in close proximity to Yuuto.

"Bingo, Okogi. We've scoured this place and we didn't find a single drop of blood anywhere. It does look like he was pushed towards the table after his throat was slit though. You can tell by the bloody skid marks and the blood splatters over here." Hibiki pointed at the streaky drops of blood right in front of the corpse.

"Moving on to little brother over there." Hibiki approached the corpse on the opposite side of the table, "This one is a bit more mysterious. Anyone wanna guess?"

"This isn't a game, Hibiki." Goro scolded the coroner, clearly unhappy with her decision to suddenly turn the whole thing into a pop quiz.

"Oh, come on. We can at least have some fun with it. Besides, it helps your juniors think for themselves." She rationalized her decision with half-truths. The real reason was just that she wanted them to guess, nothing more.

The two observed the corpse and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. There were no marks on his neck, no visible signs of blunt trauma or stabbing. Heck, there wasn't even a single spec of blood on his side of the table. Yuzu and Harumi tried as hard as they could to guess what the cause of death was but they go nothing, so they gave up.

"We got nothing." Harumi answered for the both of them.

"You guys are no fun." Hibiki complained, obviously disappointed with how quickly they gave up.

"Just get on with it, Hibiki. You had your fun." Goro scolded her once more.

"Okay, okay, okay. Asphyxiation. When we got here he still had this bag on his head." Hibiki pointed at a plastic bag which was sitting on the table, "Oh, there's one more thing and it's interesting!" She continued with excitement, then pulled out a piece of paper that was lying facedown between the corpses.

"God it stinks. Why do I have to be here?" Kurosawa's voice sounded from behind Yuzu and she quickly turned to see the unlikable detective smoking a cigarette inside the crime scene.

"Excuse me, Kurosawa-senpai but this is a crime scene. You should know better than to smoke here."

"Getting all high and mighty after out little blunder aren't we, Okogi?" The man scoffed at her while approaching the corpses.

"Kurosawa, I thought you were on leave because of... you know." Goro scratched the back of his neck, unsure if he should verbalize the word that was on his mind but Kurosawa didn't seem to give a shit about it.

"Funeral? Who cares." He said.

Yuzu was told about the death of Kurosawa's wife and it disgusted her that the man didn't seem to give a single damn about her passing, "Kurosawa-senpai, please put your cigarette out!" Yuzu raised her voice but Kurosawa ignored her and kept looking at the crime scene, particularly the piece of paper that Hibiki was holding.

"Never mind, kid. I wasn't going to stay anyway." His tone changed as he quickly rushed out of the factory, leaving the other detectives confused at his sudden departure.

"What's up with him?" Harumi asked, raising an eyebrow at the suspicious reaction.

"I don't know, Harumin." Yuzu answered as she looked at the paper that Hibiki was about to show them. It was a thicker type of paper, like the type used for invitations and such; on it the words: 'Would you care to join them?' was written beautifully, inked in dried blood. That was definitely one invitation that anyone would be inclined to decline.

* * *

Notes:

Let's get the action ball rolling again!

* * *

Yu jz, you have my utmost thanks. I'd kiss you if I could. That absolutely helped a lot! Thank you!


	49. Chapter 48: Together Under the Night Sky

Yuzu lounged on the sofa with a tinge of frustration in her mood. The blonde wanted nothing more than to go out and investigate a few leads she had on the double homicide they got recently, which was now dubbed as the 'Mad Hatter's party.' It was crude and disagreeable to use a children's book character for this purpose, then again, leave it up to the media to come up with the weirdest and most disturbing ways to label a murder.

She rolled over on her side, playing with her mobile phone and switching the playlist to another song. She had previously promised Mei that she would rest on the weekends but how could she just sit here and do nothing while a murderer was on the loose? There's also the fact that someone was still out to get Mei and thoughts about that only increased her impatience by the thousands.

The Yamamoto brothers would've been crucial to making a connection between Udagawa Yasu and Homura Mio; their death meant that whatever information they knew would've gone to the grave with them. It just seemed like everything was against her. Every single time a lead comes up, she's either barred from pursuing the line of inquiry or the person just suddenly comes up dead and the investigation once again comes to a standstill.

Yuzu definitely wanted to get her hands on Udagawa Yasu and question him directly, no matter how difficult that might be and how much pressure she'd get for doing it - though getting in touch with the man was proving to be more difficult than she thought it would. Makoto would also shed some light on the whole situation but he wasn't waking up. According to Himeko, the boy's body had already healed enough and there was no reason for him to remain asleep. It was most likely psychological. People tend to go in a coma when their body is trying to protect itself from sustained injuries but it might also choose to remain in one when the person refuses to wake up. Honestly? Yuzu felt like it was just the world's way of protecting the boy from the harsh realities that awaited him.

Udagawa, Makoto... and then there's the mysterious man that was eavesdropping on them and the intruder that was at the Homura residence. 'Could it get any more complicated than this?' she thought to herself as a sigh escaped from her lips and her eyebrows knitted together.

"What's wrong?" Mei asked, having seen the frustration oozing from Yuzu.

"Oh Mei," The blonde lunged forward and sat straight on the sofa, "Nothing. Just thinking about work stuff."

Yuzu recognized the way that Mei was looking at her - disappointed, probably because she wasn't making good on her promise of relaxing on the weekend but how could she help it? There was nothing to do. Harumi went out with Mitsuko on some family business and Matsuri was investigating a few digital footprints that the Yamamoto brothers left... then there's Mei who was busy with her own work. There was nothing for her to do except to be bored or think about work.

"Didn't you promise not to overwork?"

"Yes... but Mei, aren't you doing the same?"

"I know my limit, Yuzu." The raven-haired girl answered as she poured herself a cup of tea.

It was still early in the morning but Mei had already been hard at work for a couple of hours, Yuzu knew this much and it didn't sit well with her. If she was taking a day off, then so should Mei.

"Mei, how about we go out?" She spoke out loud, "on a date..." She whispered to herself. The fact was, despite the closeness they held and the number of kisses they've shared, the two had never actually gone out as a couple and that bothered Yuzu along with a number of other things.

"I have work to finish, Yuzu."

"But if I'm resting, then you should too!"

Mei sighed. She thought about Yuzu's proposition fully knowing that the blonde would continue her frustration throughout the day if an ample distraction was not provided. The raven-haired girl weighed her responsibilities against Yuzu's request. Her remaining work decreased substantially since the beginning of the week which meant she could afford to be lax for a day.

"All right. Let me get ready, then we can go."

"REALLY?! Where do you want to go?!" Yuzu bounced with excitement after finally asking Mei out on the date, even if she didn't directly say that it was one.

"You can choose. I don't mind either way." Mei answered just before heading back to her bedroom.

Having been left alone, Yuzu let out a sharp yelp of excitement which obviously would've been heard by Mei. She just couldn't contain her happiness at this moment and in as fast as a heartbeat, she ran to her own room to get ready. They could watch a movie, have a walk and a picnic at the park or maybe visit the theme park again. The options were limitless and everything should go smoothly as long as she chose something that Mei would enjoy... but what _does_ Mei like? Yuzu knew she liked reading, though a library date would be no different from how Mei spent her usual days - buried in books and studying.

For the first time in a while, Yuzu realized that she barely knew anything about Mei. It wasn't that she didn't try to get to know her lover, it was more like her other half didn't like talking about it and any attempt made at prying her feelings open were quickly shot down with the coldest retorts. Dates were more complicated than she thought and in the end, she was left with no choice but to pick a random place and hope for the best. It wasn't all that bad, maybe Mei would find something she'd enjoy or so the blonde told herself.

It was nothing short of a surprise when Yuzu decided to keep their destination a secret. The most Mei knew was that they'd be going to Yuzu's hometown which she previously visited with Harumi, though due to the time of day, she didn't really see much of the place. It was even more surprising to find out that Yuzu had brought her to a local park and she couldn't help but question the blonde.

"A park?" She asked with one brow raised as Yuzu held her hand and dragged her along the entrance.

"Yup!" Yuzu proudly exclaimed.

"I never thought you would pick a place like this... and why this far out?" Mei continued questioning the blonde but she was quickly shot down by the girl's enthusiasm.

"Well... I thought a lot about what you'd like and then I realized that I didn't really know much about your hobbies, Mei." A solemn smile crept up on Yuzu's lips, "But then I realized it would be a good opportunity to find out instead of being told. Besides, I know you don't like populated areas, so this was the best I could think of! Mama used to take me here when I was younger and I remember that flowers bloomed here at around this time." She looked back and smiled sheepishly at her lover.

Mei couldn't refuse Yuzu after the enthusiastic way in which the girl looked at this little outing, so she allowed herself to be dragged across the park by the blonde. They looked at every attraction, played with everything and stared in awe at the fields of Sunflowers and Lavenders which were blooming. Eating snacks outdoors while sitting under the shade of a tree, just letting time pass and enjoying each moment, these were things that Mei wasn't familiar with. Growing up in a business-driven household meant that time was considered to be a precious commodity and not to be wasted in meaningless activities. It was only with Yuzu that she could enjoy these things without the guilt creeping up on her.

And just like that, the sun began to set and darkness flooded the horizon but that didn't slow Yuzu down.

"Hurry up, Mei!" The blonde shouted back at the raven-haired girl as she climbed up a few slopes away from the road.

"Where are we going?" Mei asked with a hint of annoyance. She didn't wear clothing appropriate for the hiking trip that Yuzu was putting her through. She should've known better than to wear a dress and some heels when she saw that Yuzu was wearing her usual boyish get-up of shorts and a tee.

"You'll see! Come on!" Yuzu continued to call for her.

Chasing after Yuzu like this reminded her of the growing distance between them. Keeping secrets, lying and making excuses, was it all for each other's sake or for their own? Circumstances and feelings, to what extent did they amount to and how much must one be willing to give up in order to find happiness? What they felt for each other, was it real or confused wishes brought on by longing for affection? Maybe like the Sunflowers and Lavenders, they would also stop blooming once August ended but right now, all she wanted was to know what kind of expression Yuzu kept when her back was turned like this.

"Hurry, Mei!" Yuzu cheered her on as she approached the slope.

Coming up on the hill, Mei saw an explosion of light a few kilometers away.

"Isn't it pretty?" The blonde asked as she turned around to look at the raven-haired girl standing a few feet lower.

Fireworks spread out across the sky and illuminated Yuzu's figure, burning it into Mei's eyes as her heartbeat grew a little faster. Rather than the fireworks, it was Yuzu's smile and those bright emerald eyes that dazzled her. To think a day would come when she might have to part with Yuzu was more than enough to shatter her heart into a million pieces yet knowing such a day might be inevitable, why does she still yearn for the blonde?

"Yuzu." Mei approached her, slowly struggling to climb up the last few steps.

"Here." The blonde offered her hand with a soft smile and her eyes full of nothing but endearment, "Sorry, I forgot you wore heels. I should've helped you faster." She apologized before inviting the raven-haired girl to sit beside her in the grass. Yuzu only heard about the firework show when they got there, had she known, she would've told Mei to wear something else.

Mei gracefully lowered herself down the ground, sitting quietly beside the blonde while watching the fireworks light up the night sky.

"Let's do more things like this." Yuzu said while looking at the spectacle with a soft smile on her lips.

Mei looked at Yuzu, unable to keep her own emotion in check. Her heart has been beating like crazy since a few minutes now and there was only so much self-control to pass around. She leaned her head on Yuzu's shoulder and intertwined her arm with the blonde's, making sure to interlock their fingers in the process.

"I'd like that." She whispered softly.

Not another word was spoken and the two spent a few minutes in each other's comfort. Their love-stricken eyes illuminated by each color that exploded in the sky.

"Yuzu I-" Mei spoke after darkness engulfed their surroundings. There was something she needed to say and she felt like this was the only chance she would ever get to say it.

Yuzu noticed that Mei was shaking a little as she spoke. "Mei?" she called out to her. There was a mixture of worry and anxiety in Yuzu. Some part of her instinctively cowered in fear of what Mei was going to say.

"There's something I need to tell you," Mei spoke with a strained tone as she gripped harder at Yuzu's hand, "Yuzu I-"

'ring, ring...' Yuzu's mobile rang, cutting Mei off. Normally you would ignore it and allow your significant other to finish whatever they were trying to tell you, but Yuzu was nothing short of thankful for the disturbance. She wasn't prepared to hear whatever Mei had to say and she wanted nothing more than to put the talk off for another day.

"Sorry, I gotta take this." She excused herself with a weak smile before getting up.

Mei sat quietly on the grass. She thought about whether to continue what she was saying but it took everything she had just to try and say it the first time. Now it just felt impossible and she didn't know if she could muster the courage to say it again.

"Mei, we need to go. Something came up, sorry." The blonde apologized.

Mei would have to say it eventually but it seemed like today was simply not the day to have this conversation. With quiet resignation, she nodded and the two headed back to Tokyo; each with their own thoughts and misgivings about the unspoken words that should've been said that night.

* * *

Notes:

I had to wing the park because there isn't even any mention on what city Yuzu used to live in. Intriguingly! I looked at the flowers which bloomed for each month and apparently, only Sunflowers and Lavenders would seasonally bloom at around this time (early August).

Great coincidence considering Sunflowers would represent Yuzu very well (bubbly and sunny) and Mei with lavenders (Simple, elegant and the shade of purple). Which is also why Mei makes a mention of "blooms" ending once August ends (they only bloom until mid-August). That was fun. (￣▼￣)


	50. Chapter 49: A Bullet for the Innocents

The commute home was long and Yuzu couldn't help but impatiently tap her foot through the whole train ride. She was in enough of a hurry to warrant hailing a cab instead of walking back to the apartment and this didn't escape Mei's attention.

"Yuzu, it's not that far. Do we really need a taxi?" Mei was a little perplexed at the decision and Yuzu's sudden change in mood.

"Sorry, Mei. I just really need to get somewhere quick." She smiled back at the raven-haired girl.

It wasn't a lie at all. That call she received was of great importance and there was no telling how much time she had left. Entering the cab, she told the driver where they had to go then decided to close her eyes for a few minutes as she attempted to remember the contents of the conversation.

* * *

"Hello?" She asked.

"Okogi Yuzu?" A man asked from the other side of the line. His voice was scruffy and hoarse but familiar.

"Yes, who's this?"

"You know who I am, Okogi. Don't bullshit around."

"Kurosawa-senpai?"

"Listen to me and listen well. Come to xx building at the corner of xx street. I have the answers that you need and the evidence to support it but hurry. I don't have much time left." His voice sounded a little ragged, like he was tired.

"Why don't you just tell me now?"

"I can't speak right now and I can't give you the evidence like this. Come or don't, it's up to you. Just remember, this might be your last chance."

* * *

The line went dead after that and she couldn't contact Kurosawa anymore. Thoughts flew around her mind; things like it might be a trap but then why would Kurosawa target her for anything? She didn't have any vital information about any of the cases, no condemning clues that would lead to an arrest. Then it hit her like a truck, 'Would you care to join them?' It was those words that had caused Kurosawa to leave the crime scene that day.

Arriving at the apartment, Yuzu asked the cab to wait for her. She then quickly dragged Mei across the lobby and pushed her into the elevator. An hour passed since the call and she knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Yuzu, stop pushing me." Mei complained as the blonde quickly pushed her inside the apartment and headed off to her bedroom.

"Sorry, Mei. Don't wait for me and lock everything while I'm out, 'kay?" The blonde said after returning to the living room.

"What's happening?" Anxiety crept up on the raven-haired girl when she saw that Yuzu was buckling her pistol and police badge, "Yuzu?" Mei called out nervously as she eyed the gun.

"Don't worry, Mei. It's just insurance." The blonde smiled before approaching Mei. She held Mei's hands, then planted a chaste kiss on the girl's lips, "I'll be back. I promise." And just like that, she stormed off.

Mei looked at Yuzu's back as the girl left the apartment. Worry painted her features and there was nothing more frustrating than knowing all you can do is watch events unfold. She wanted to run after Yuzu and tell her not to go, but she knew that wouldn't work. Yuzu isn't someone to be persuaded when she set her eyes on something. So she did the only thing she could do and called for help, even if she had never liked approaching others, she was willing to do it for Yuzu's sake.

Arriving at the location, Yuzu paid the driver and thanked him before exiting the taxi. Pulling out her pistol, Yuzu rounded the corner and eyed the desolate building at the end of the street, it looked like it had been abandoned for some time. She didn't know what was waiting for her at the meeting place but you can never be too careful.

'This is like asking to be killed...' She sighed inwardly. Her instincts were screaming at her to get out of there that very moment, but against all odds, her sense of duty urged her to continue, so she did. Looking around, she found that all of the windows have been boarded up all the way to the top floor. Luckily, they weren't shutters and she was afforded the convenience of peering through the small gaps of the wood.

Wiping away some dust from the glass, Yuzu tried to get a better look at the interior of the building. Squinting her eyes, she hoped she would immediately spot Kurosawa but there was no one in her immediate vision. Great, she got her hands dusty for no reason. Though at least she knew that she wouldn't be ambushed as soon as she entered.

Returning to the front of the building, she held onto the doorknob and shook it a little - checking to see if it was unlocked. To her surprise, the door swung open and dust immediately filled her lungs. The building must've been abandoned for longer than she originally thought. With a cough and a wheeze, she continued inside, her pistol at the ready.

The first floor was completely empty, there were no signs that anyone was here and she wondered if Kurosawa had either played her or she was in the wrong place. Though the front door being open meant someone had been here, and with that assumption, she decided to investigate a little further.

The lowest floor seemed to be the lobby of the building. The front desk was still left intact and there were still some documents left around. Yuzu picked up one of the cards that had fallen on the floor, it read the name of the company but it was too dark and the card was far too old to be legible. Over at the far corner, she noticed something reflecting the light from outside and she cautiously approached the glimmering object.

She observed it as she got closer and realized that it was a map of the building, encased in glass. There were nine floors in all and each one was connected to the main staircase along with the rooftop, plus there are two fire exits on each side of the building. Yuzu realized that it was going to take some time to go around the entirety of the building but it was time she was willing to make.

After being satisfied with her search on the first floor, the blonde headed up to the next floor and subsequently kept climbing after that. What she found was nothing but a big pile of dust everywhere she went. The building was still in somewhat of a good condition but there was definitely some deterioration. A lot of the items were also left on top of desks which were once used by the employees of the business.

As she ascended the building, she noticed something strange. The lower floors housed a very formal business setting but the upper floors, starting from the fifth, looked a little different. In fact, on the sixth floor, she found what seemed to have once been a hidden room and inside it, there were still some clothing strewn around. She wondered how thin the owners would've been since even Nene wouldn't fit into the size of the clothing. There was also some gambling tables along with an entire selection of liquor lined up on a dusty bar - It almost looked like a luxurious prostitution den. There was no question that this place housed a shady business, which is probably why it's abandoned now.

When she started ascending to the seventh floor, her mobile rang and she cursed at her own lack of forethought before quickly answering it. It was a good thing that this search was leading nowhere because if this was a trap, she definitely would've been dead by now.

"Hello?"

"Yuzu-cchi?! Where are you?" Harumi's panic-stricken voice called out.

"Harumin? What's with the sudden call?" Yuzu questioned back, trying to make sense of how Harumi would've known about her being out.

"Prez. called me. She's really worried about you. Just tell me where you are, damn it!" Harumi cussed in frustration. This was kind of understandable since Yuzu hasn't been telling them anything.

"Ah, well-"

'Bang, bang, bang.' Three shots fired from the upper floor, causing the blonde to stop in her tracks.

"Hey, Yuzu-cchi?! What was that?!" Harumi's voice grew more desperate.

"Gunshots." Yuzu started running up the flight of stairs. By the sound of it, she knew it was the ninth floor. "Harumin, I'm at an abandoned building at the corner of xx street. It's the white one that's boarded up. Call for back-up and hurry."

"Don't you dare rush in on your own, Yuzu-cchi!"

"I have to! Kurosawa called me here and I need him alive!"

"Yuzu-cchi! Don't you-" Yuzu ended the call. She couldn't afford to distract herself with an armed suspect on the loose.

Coming up on the ninth floor, Yuzu flattened her back against the wall beside the staircase. She tried to get as good as a view as she could afford but there was no one. The gunshots weren't her imagination though, even Harumi heard it, so there's definitely someone here and she needed to be careful. Keeping herself low and prepared, she ventured on into the dark corridors, making sure to quietly check every room she passed by.

Arriving at the last room, she inhaled deeply then slowly pushed the door open and peered from behind the safety of the wall. It didn't take long for her to see Kurosawa lying on the floor, barely breathing.

"Kurosawa-senpai!" She shouted as she attempted to get near her senior but her approach was quickly halted by another figure standing in the shadow right beside Kurosawa. Yuzu instinctively cocked her gun in the mystery man's direction.

"Hold it. Step away from him." She commanded at him and he complied, lifting his hands up to show submission.

"Slowly. Don't make any sudden movements." She kept an eye on him, following his every move as she urged the man to move towards the light that streamed through the boarded up windows.

"Calm down." He said, "This is a misunderstanding."

"Shut it." Yuzu was unwilling to listen to the man's words. Her first and foremost priority was to assess Kurosawa's condition. She slowly approached her senior as the man walked backward, matching every step she took. She knelt beside the older man when she was finally close enough to get a better look at him, her eyes darting from the suspect and back to the old man lying on the floor. It was bad. She couldn't see the entire injury but he was definitely bleeding out.

"Ok... ogi." A bloody cough came from the man as he tried to speak, "I-I-I'm s-sorry."

"Kurosawa-senpai, stop talking. Back-up will come soon, you can still-"

The man weakly shook his head. Yuzu knew what he meant, he wasn't going to survive this. Even the blonde knew that but she didn't want to say it out loud.

"He won't survive." The man spoke.

"Shut up." She answered him, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"Okogi-san, let's just calm down. Okay?" His features became illuminated by the tiny rays of moonlight, a gentle smile settling on his face.

"Udagawa-san, throw your weapon away." Yuzu commanded at him, her voice filled with nothing but a foreign icy tone.

"I'm not armed, Okogi-san." He continued looking at her with soft eyes, shifting in place.

"I'm going to say it one more time. Drop your weapon and don't move."

"I'm telling you. I'm not armed."

Their eyes met like two vipers staring at each other for any sudden movements. It wouldn't be long until Kurosawa died and Yuzu couldn't afford to let go of Udagawa like this.

"Come on, Kurosawa-senpai. You can't die like this." She whispered to the dying man but he was already unresponsive.

"Don't move!" He shouted at Udagawa once more after seeing that he was trying to lower his hands.

"Wait, calm down. I just want to show you-"

Udagawa kept lowering his hands and Yuzu was left with little choice but to fire a round at him. She never once thought she would ever have to fire her gun again but now that was all null and void. There was nothing else but survival in her mind.

Udagawa screamed in pain, clutching on his leg. At the very least, Yuzu still had the sense of mind to shoot him at a place that would cause minimal damage.

"Tell me, what are you doing here and why did you go after Kurosawa-senpai?! What about the Yamamoto brothers?!" She screamed at Udagawa, her eyes blind with rage. This was it, the man that had done so much, writhing in pain right in front of her.

'Wouldn't it be so easy to just end everything here?' she thought. Every sound disappeared from the world as she pulled her gun and aimed at Udagawa's head.

"Stop..." Udagawa spoke as he squirmed in pain, "Don't do this Okogi-san." He begged.

His words fell on deaf ears. There was only malice in Yuzu. All she could think about was the pain that Udagawa brought onto innocent lives. The pain he gave to Mei. And with each thought that passed, her finger drew a little tighter on the trigger.

"Yuzu-cchi! Stop!" Harumi's voice tore through the darkness.

"Okogi! Drop your weapon!" Goro followed soon after.

Yuzu looked back at her senior and Harumi, their faces obscured by the darkness; right behind the two, stood more police officers who waited on Goro's command. How bad would it be to just shoot Udagawa dead here? She chuckled at the thought but she wasn't that type of person. Killing Udagawa would mean that she was no different from him, so she lowered her weapon and stepped aside.

Goro immediately ordered the paramedics to look at both Kurosawa and Udagawa. He then approached Yuzu and slapped her right across the face, his own features contorted with anger as he spoke, "What were you thinking?!"

"I did what I had to, Goro-senpai." She answered him, unflinching.

"Tsk!" He flicked his tongue in annoyance, "The chief will want a word with you. Taniguchi, take her back to the station."


	51. Chapter 50: Icarus

"What were you thinking, Yuzu-cchi?! I told you to wait for us before you did anything!" Harumi screamed as she slammed both of her palms down on the table.

"I just did what I judged to be right for the situation, Harumin!" Yuzu defended herself.

"That's not the point here! Do you understand what you've done? You're soaked in Kurosawa's blood and you shot the second son of the Udagawas!" Harumi bellowed in anger, her brows furiously fighting each other as she did. Yuzu had never seen her best friend so angry but she wasn't going to back down. She did nothing wrong, that was her firm belief.

"And what do you expect me to do? Just let Udagawa Yasu go? He's clearly guilty!" Yuzu shouted back, slamming her own cuffed hands on the table.

"Then tell me, Okogi Yuzu. What evidence do you have against Udagawa Yasu?" A man's voice spoke as the door creaked open. It was the Chief, his stern blue eyes filled with enough disappointment to pass around, "You can leave us for now, Taniguchi-san."

"Yes, sir." Harumi looked at Yuzu, her eyes filled with hurt. She then saluted her senior, turned on her heel and left the interrogation room.

"Sit down, Yuzu." The chief motioned for Yuzu to take a seat. He dropped a folder on the table and sat down, clutching his grayed crown in his trembling hands, "What made you act out like this?" He asked her with a softer tone.

"I had reason to believe that Amemiya wasn't guilty of anything except Aihara Mei's kidnapping and the attempted murder of Aihara Sho." She answered him, her eyes planted firmly on the chief.

"On what basis?" The chief spoke, gritting his teeth in between words. He was clearly very upset with what Yuzu had done but the blonde saw no reason for everyone's negativity towards her actions.

"Amemiya Hideki was in contact with Udagawa Yasu, he treated his injured eye which Aihara Mei inflicted on him. Hibiki-san also noted that the blood under Homura Mio's nails was odd and seemed to have been diluted. My guess is that he took the blood from Amemiya's wound, diluted it to keep it from drying out, then planted it onto Homura Mio's fingernails."

"Udagawa Yasu was also seen in the company of the Yamamoto brothers, the same ones from the double homicide we found a few days ago. When Kurosawa-senpai arrived at the scene, he took one look at that invitation and quickly left. I didn't understand why he did that until I found Kurosawa-senpai." Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows, she regretted getting there too late. If she hadn't taken so long, maybe Kurosawa wouldn't have sustained those injuries.

"And that is?" The chief impatiently chided her. He had this tone and demeanor which felt like he was somewhat mocking Yuzu. She didn't like it but she did trust the chief and this may as well be the best and last opportunity to shed some light on Udagawa as the mastermind behind it all.

"It was a warning. The brothers must've crossed Udagawa Yasu and he went after them for it. Kurosawa-senpai called me yesterday evening. He told me to come and meet him if I wanted answers and that it might be my last chance to get them."

The chief sighed in dejection as he leaned back on his chair. His lids hid the ice blue eyes that were reminiscent of Matsuri's yet very different, "Yuzu, Kurosawa is dead. We are unable to verify your claims." He opened his eyes and slumped forward, "What am I going to tell your mother?"

"I don't understand, what's happening?" Yuzu was a little unsettled by the chief's actions. She had been held at the station for more than 12 hours now and nobody was telling her anything. It was even the first time that she heard of Kurosawa's passing, regrettably, that also meant that the man, much like everyone else, took all of his secrets to the grave.

"The Udagawa family is filing a case against you. They're out for blood and I can't protect you from this, Yuzu."

"Let them. We have evidence against him, right? He was the only person in that room! What else would he be doing there?!" Yuzu raised her voice in frustration.

"We've just done a paraffin test on Udagawa Yasu. He didn't fire a gun. The only person that had a gun in that room was you, Yuzu."

"There are ways around it! You know that, chief! He must've used a cloth or wore gloves maybe he even-"

"Yuzu!" The chief interrupted her, "There was nothing. We _found_ nothing. And regarding the rest of what you mentioned... I'm sorry, but with Kurosawa gone. It's your word against his."

The chief stood up and paced around the room, one hand wrapped around his torso as he furiously rubbed his lower face with the other.

"They found... nothing?" She shook in her place. Was she wrong? No, that can't be. All of the evidence pointed towards Udagawa and there was no way everything was wrong. What exactly did he do? How did he shoot Kurosawa? There must've been a reasonable explanation for this. There must be one, otherwise what was left to think about? That there's still a snitch at the police department? Was it Goro? Hibiki? Someone else?

"There's something else." The chief said as he approached the table again, "Look at this." He pushed the folder towards Yuzu.

"This contains a detailed report of the incident and everything we found at the scene. I'm giving this so you can look over it but Yuzu, you should know that the Udagawas aren't people to be trifled with. That's why I gave Goro the express order to prevent any further inquiries into them _unless_ we have hard evidence." The chief sighed heavily.

Yuzu opened the folder and scanned through the documents in it. She flipped from page to page, just glancing at the basic information that was in it. A few pages later, she noticed something sticking out from the upper left corner of the file. She drew it out and immediately recognized the photo.

"Chief... what's this?" Yuzu asked. Her hands shook as she showed the photo of a small girl with white hair and blue eyes.

The chief noticed the pained expression on Yuzu's face.

"That's the other thing I wanted to mention. They're calling for your dismissal on the grounds of negligence and they're using her to strengthen the case against you." He rubbed his temples in frustration and silence settled in the room for a few minutes.

Yuzu's face paled and she wished that the chief had finished with the grim news at this point, but he was far from done, "In any case, we'll provide a lawyer for you, should the need arise. You will also be barred from participating in any of the pending cases... and you are suspended until further notice. Please, hand over your badge and gun for the time being." He stretched his arm out, waiting for Yuzu to hand over the badge that was still in her belt.

"But Chief!" Yuzu got up from her chair and protested.

"No buts. Hand them over. Now." His stern blue eyes looked at her with authority.

'Damn it!' Yuzu thought as she pulled her badge and furiously slammed it on the table. She bit her lip in frustration, 'it can't end like this.' She thought.

Nothing stung more than the fact that Udagawa had the upper hand purely because of his family's money and influence. How could she have missed this? She thought of the man as a friend and yet it never once crossed her mind that he could've been more than he showed - just thinking about it made her stomach churn in anger.

"You're free to go home. I trust that you won't run from your mistakes." The chief said as he took the badge and gun from the table, "Taniguchi will uncuff you soon. I'm sorry, Yuzu." He apologized as he left the room.

Harumi stood in front of the door, her back flush against the cold concrete wall. 'Stupid blonde.' She thought to herself. Yuzu wasn't the only one who was feeling down about everything, in fact, she didn't even realize how everyone else felt towards the whole incident, especially Harumi.

The plum-haired girl felt a mixture of anxiety, anger, and disappointment. She always thought of Yuzu as a sister, that was how much she cared about the blonde, yet the girl didn't trust her enough and kept her in the dark. In a way, she also felt betrayed.

"Taniguchi," the chief called out to her and she stood upright to acknowledge his presence, "uncuff Okogi, she's free to go home."

"Chief... what's going to happen to Yuzu-cchi?" She asked. She was mad at the way Yuzu decided to go about the whole incident, but she still cared about the girl.

"There's not much we can do for her now. All of her cases will be transferred over to you, I'm trusting you to find a way to get her out of this, Taniguchi." He closed his eyes and sighed, "Like father, like daughter." He mumbled under his breath.

"You knew Yuzu-cchi's dad, Chief?" Harumi asked with sheer curiosity.

"Yes, he was my junior back then. If you're wondering what he was like, well, just look at Yuzu and imagine her being taller and with masculine features. There's not much left to imagine after that." The chief chuckled. He remembered the days where Kyou spent most of his time fooling around the station and pissing everyone off.

"Listen up, Taniguchi. I know you're very close to her and that's why I'm putting this burden on your shoulders. Yuzu is like a daughter to me and Ume will never forgive me if I let her daughter go to jail like this. I'm entrusting you with a lot, I know. But I believe in you."

"And why exactly are you doing nothing, old man?" Matsuri's tone was filled with anger. She heard the entire conversation but she didn't care for reason, she was plainly unhappy with her father's refusal to do anything despite his position.

"Matsuri, what are you doing here?" The chief turned and looked at the girl.

"I came to see Yuzu-chan. Now answer my question, why aren't you helping her? You're the chief of the god damned police and you're entrusting Yuzu-chan's fate to a junior detective? Don't make me laugh." She scoffed at her father. She didn't mean to insult Harumi like this but clearly, the chief could do better.

"Matsuri, you need to understand that my position has little bearing when we're talking about people with enough money to bend the truth. The best I can do for Yuzu is to-"

"To what? Abandon her? Like you abandoned her father's case to Kurosawa?"

'slap'

A hand flew across and landed on Matsuri's face. The force was strong enough to make her wince and cradle the afflicted spot. Matsuri looked directly into the eyes of her attacker, her eyes filled with anger, but she was met head-on with hazel eyes that were unforgiving. She never thought Harumi could muster such strong emotions.

"I'm not going to let Yuzu-cchi go to jail. How dare you even imply that, Matsuri?" Harumi wasn't in the mood for Matsuri's antics. She understood and forgave the girl for most of her tantrums but this was too much. To think she was looked down on to the point that she would be accused of being similar to Kurosawa, didn't sit well with her.

"You might have been the one she grew up with, but that doesn't mean you're the only one who cares about her, Matsuri." Harumi bit her cheek. This was frustrating.

"That's enough." The chief intervened. Not wanting the situation to get out of hand, "Take Okogi home, Taniguchi. And you, Matsuri, come with me." He urged the girl to follow him.

Yuzu sat quietly inside the interrogation room. She read the files that the chief gave her, trying to look for a way to prove that the actions she took were just. Unfortunately, much like the chief said, there wasn't anything in that building. The bullets that killed Kurosawa were also identified to be from a pistol, but no gun was found at the scene except for Yuzu's. Not like that would ever match the bullets since she didn't shoot him and Harumi could confirm this.

The blonde pulled out the photo that she previously saw on the file. She lightly grazed her finger on top of the girl's face, a pained smile on her lips. It's been three years now but the memory was still vivid, she could never forget it. No, she will never forget it.

* * *

Notes:

This wasn't the original chapter that I was going to release as the 50th. I wanted it to be more of a 'bang' but it felt like discussing this was part of the natural progression of the story. So... I'm moving the bangy (No, not that 'bangy' the innocent bangy) chapter onto the next one.

* * *

Ayeee. This got long... I can't believe I actually got to 50 chapters. Though arguably, the chapters are relatively short which attributes to how it piled up this much but still!

This has been a very long journey and we're nearing the end! I wanna finish at 60 chapters or so but I guess I'm not the best at throwing an estimate. I originally thought I'd be finishing this fanfic at around 30 chapters but as I wrote it just kind of... ballooned. Which is an understatement, It BALLOONED. Haha!

I've enjoyed writing this tremendously and I hope all of you are enjoying it as well. I mean, sure I get lazy to update sometimes but heeeey, 50 chapters in 2 months! I've never done so much in my life. ＼（Ｔ∇Ｔ）／

Thanks to everyone who's reading this and also everyone who's throwing words of encouragement at the comment section.

The theories you guys throw in there also have me enamored and I often feel very flattered that people are delving heavily into this. I often read those long posts that have so many ideas in them and I wanna be all like 'But are you _really_ sure?!' Of course, I never say anything because I doubt anyone would appreciate being spoiled.

Anyway, I appreciate everything and thank you for enjoying this! Let's make the best out of the remaining chapters! ୧⍢⃝୨


	52. Chapter 51: False Words, Honest Hearts

Music recommendation: Just be Friends (Piano Arrange) - Yamai's Cover | Just for the second half of this chapter.

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Yuzu sat quietly on the passenger side of the car. She looked outside the window and took in the familiar sight of the street as Harumi drove her back to the apartment. It was raining, albeit, softly. She entertained the idea that the world seemed to be matching the weather with her mood, because if anything, she felt as grey as the sky currently was.

Yuzu understood the reason for Harumi's frustration, but she hoped that the plum-haired girl would've tried seeing things from her perspective. She was unwilling to drag Harumi down with her and that was not up for debate, regardless of the circumstances.

Harumi also understood why Yuzu decided to keep her in the dark, but it hurt her that the blonde would rather keep doing everything by herself. She knew that Yuzu did this for her sake but there was an unshakable feeling of disappointment, like a lack of trust or whatnot.

In reality, both of them were still recovering from the loss of a close friend, as such, they both knew the feeling of losing someone important and the fear that it could happen again, especially in this line of work. Yuzu feared she would drag Harumi to her death and Harumi feared that Yuzu would get herself killed in martyrdom.

The blonde continued looking out into the streets, her dull emerald eyes searching for anything to rest her gaze upon. Coincidentally, she saw a large banner of Yuzubocchi plastered on the wall of a nearby store. A weak smile crept up on her lips as she gazed upon the odd humanoid-lemonish mascot.

"Yuzubocchi, huh?" Harumi was the first to break the silence, "That really takes me back." She said with a grunt of amusement.

"Time flies, doesn't it?"

"How long has it been?"

"Three years now." Yuzu looked down on her lap. She felt nostalgic and sad at the same time, "I remember the first time I saw her in class. She was so small, I didn't think she was a student." Yuzu gave a weak laugh.

"Then she introduced herself like," Harumi placed an open palm on her chest, fingers spread out across the fabric of her shirt, "I'm Tachibana Sara. It must be destiny for me to meet you all here." She imitated the girl's voice as best she could, earning a hearty laugh from the blonde.

"Yeah... she was really into things like lucky colors, astrology, and all that stuff, wasn't she?" Yuzu giggled. A bit of life returning into her tired self, "I still remember the day we met Goro-senpai."

"Right, he looked so mad after seeing your blonde hair."

The two thought back to their first meeting with Goro. It was very unusual for fresh graduates to be taken in by a detective, but Yuzu, Harumi, and Sara all excelled in different fields and the chief wanted them to be trained by someone who knew the ins and outs of police work, which was apparently Goro. Yuzu could still remember Goro's frustration the moment he saw her blonde hair. What's even funnier was the look on his face when he saw Sara.

The girl was small, barely 150 cm. Her hair was pale as snow and her eyes bluer than the sky, in hindsight, Goro probably thought of how such a small and fragile looking girl passed the academy's brutal training. Maybe the bigger mystery was why she was standing side-by-side with the academy's top dogs, Yuzu and Harumi.

Yuzu excelled in hand-to-hand combat. It didn't matter who she was up against or what they had in hand, no one in her class could take her down. Harumi, on the other hand, excelled in marksmanship. Hand the girl any gun and she'd shoot a target square in the face without fail. Both of them had their strengths but they were also equally capable in the other's forte. On top of that, they were both proficient in solving questionable cases, often earning them the jealous looks of their fellow students.

However, no matter how much both Harumi and Yuzu dazzled the instructors, they were both far behind Sara when it came to detective work. She was just brilliant, far too brilliant to be placed in the same league as the other students in the academy. Whatever she lacked in stature and combat ability, she made up for in unparalleled deduction.

The chief had a lot of hope for the three, which is precisely why he decided to have all of them follow Goro instead of a patrolman. They were meant to be groomed into detectives, and that is what should've happened if that incident never took place.

Yuzu shifted on her chair. She planted her head firmly on the headrest as she blinked a few times. Tears threatening to fall from her tired eyes.

It was a few months after they started training under Goro. They received an assignment that had them hot on the tail of an infamous pickpocket in xx district. It didn't sound very serious, so no one took it seriously, except for Sara. The albino girl always dished out her best regardless of how mundane the case was, she would always give her 100%.

They planned it out and it would've been so easy but everything went bad so quickly that no one really knew how to react. The pickpocket was more dangerous than they initially thought he was. He lured the girls into a small area with the intention of making easy targets out of them. Of course, the trainees returned fire, but in an enclosed space like that, any bullet can bounce off.

Blood flowed from Sara's wound, tears from Yuzu's eyes; she did everything she could, but even Sara knew she wasn't going to survive and Yuzu knew it all too well. Even knowing that her death was imminent, Sara smiled. Her last words to Yuzu were that this must've been part of her destiny as well.

They managed to stop the pickpocket, but at the cost of a friend's life - there was no way it was worth it. It wasn't until the autopsy was done that Yuzu found out that it was her bullet that hit Sara. It was an accident, she knew it was, but didn't make it any easier for Yuzu. Since then she never held a gun and if the need ever arose, she entrusted it to Harumi.

"It wasn't your fault. You know that, right?" Harumi gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"I know..." Yuzu acknowledged her friend's words, "But I wonder if she had known that it was my fault, would she have hated me for it?" She smiled bitterly at the thought.

"You know she wouldn't. I don't think that midget has it in her to hate you for it." Harumi fought to keep her own tears from drizzling down her face. Yuzu was always open about showing her emotions but Harumi liked keeping these in check, much like Mei did. It wasn't because she was too proud to show her sadness, it was more like she felt like she needed to be stronger, otherwise, they'd both bawl endlessly.

"Chief told me that they're using Sara's case against me. They're calling for my dismissal."

"The Udagawas? That's cheap."

"I hate that they're using her for this, but I also think... that maybe this is divine retribution." Yuzu looked at Harumi with a pained smile on her face, tears still falling down her face.

"Yuzu-cchi..." Harumi's heart broke at the state that her friend was in. The fact that there wasn't much she could do only made the feeling of anxiety grow fervently as she dug her nails into the steering wheel of the car, "You can't say stuff like that. If Sara was here, she'd smack your forehead for it." Harumi averted her gaze from Yuzu, looking down in frustration.

"Just hang in there. I'll figure something out, all right?" Harumi continued, her voice a little weaker than usual.

"No." Yuzu spoke firmly, "I already lost one partner. Don't you dare do anything reckless, Harumin."

"You're one to speak, considering where you got yourself in. Dumb blonde." The plum-haired girl tried joking around, but there were no laughs to give out.

"I'm serious."

"I know. I also know that the reason why you didn't tell me and Matsuri about this was because you didn't want to drag us into the shithole that you dug for yourself. But you know, we feel bad too. Don't be too self-sacrificing, you hear?" She gave Yuzu a weak smile, trying to reassure the girl and elicit an understanding between them.

"Thank you, Harumin." Yuzu returned the gesture, smiling back at her friend.

"So... what now?"

"Sleep. I haven't had any shut-eye since yesterday and it's making my skin look horrible. 18 hours is too much." Yuzu pulled her cheeks down to emphasize on the dark rings under her eyes, "I mean, look at this!"

"You and me both, Yuzu-cchi. Too bad I'm not gonna get some sleep yet." Harumi gave a light chuckle. She felt relieved that Yuzu had a little bit more life in her now.

"Seriously though... I'm suspended and the Chief won't let me touch any of the cases. I guess I'll be on Mei duty until they either jail me, fire me or call me back." The blonde sighed heavily at how depressing the odds of a positive outcome was.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure things will end well, one way or the other."

"Hey, don't say it like that."

"Like what?"

"I don't know... the way you phrased it sounded like something bad's going to happen." Yuzu made a show of opening the window and fanning out the 'bad omen' that she spoke of.

"You're overreacting. The worst they could do is jail you and today isn't going to get any worse!"

Yuzu slapped Harumi's arm before looking at the girl in sheer annoyance. She didn't want to be cursed like this, so she thanked Harumi for dropping her off and quickly headed up to the apartment. It's been a horrible day and she couldn't wait to jump into Mei's arms for comfort. Actually, Mei didn't even have to hold her, just the girl's presence would be more than enough.

"Mei?" She called out to the girl as she entered the apartment.

Yuzu's eyes quickly lit up when she spotted her lover leaning over the kitchen counter. Not wanting to waste another minute, she kicked her shoes off and ran towards the raven-haired girl who seemed startled by her presence.

"What are you doing?" Yuzu asked. She noticed that Mei seemed to have been writing something but the girl quickly crumpled the piece of paper as soon as she approached.

"Nothing." Mei answered as she desperately tried to hide the crumpled note behind her.

"Hmm. Really?" Yuzu pouted. She wasn't convinced that it was nothing.

"Yes." Mei looked away, unwilling to meet her lover's eyes.

For some reason, it felt like the raven-haired girl wasn't willing to look into her eyes. Yuzu, being Yuzu, shifted to the side that Mei was looking down on and tried to catch those amethyst eyes, "What are you hiding, Mei?" She continued pouting but Mei didn't give her an answer. She looked around the room, trying to spot what kind of surprise Mei was hiding. Yuzu's first thought was her birthday, which was only a few days away but she never told Mei when it was.

To Yuzu's dismay, she never found anything out of place around the kitchen. So she surveyed further and found a suspiciously large bag sitting on the side of the sofa.

"Are you going somewhere, Mei?"

"To Grandfather's."

"You're staying over there?"

"Yes"

"Oh... okay. When are you coming back?" She asked nervously, something didn't seem right about the whole thing. Mei had always been adamant in staying in the apartment even when she was being told otherwise, so why now?

"Yuzu." Mei blinked to the rhythm of a sharp inhale and an even sharper exhale, "I'm not coming back."

"What do you mean?" Yuzu's anxiety grew with every word that rolled off of Mei's tongue. Deep inside her, she hoped that she just heard those words wrong.

"I mean this." Mei took off the ring that Yuzu had given her, the very same one that Yuzu vowed on, and without a hint of hesitation, she took the blonde's hand and returned the ring to its original owner.

Yuzu's entire world shattered. She thought that she was sad from everything that happened since yesterday but this... was this what real sadness felt like? It was like a thousand icy daggers had pierced through her heart, like oxygen was forcefully being drawn out of her lungs, and, at the same time, like her limbs would grow frigid and fall off on their own. No, the word sadness was far too light to characterize how she felt.

"M-Mei?" Her tired eyes started burning and tears slowly welled up at each corner of those once bright emeralds.

"Hey, Mei. What are you saying?" Yuzu's voice shook as she repressed the overwhelming need to break down. She forced a smile despite her quivering lips, the illusion of happiness quickly washed by tears.

"It's over, Yuzu."

The raven-haired girl kept her eyes on the blonde's, she never averted her gaze, never blinked and she didn't flinch at uttering those words. It was like she was devoid of all emotions and realizing that made Yuzu crumble. She fell on her knees and clutched at her battered eyes, unable to stop the flow of tears, "Why are you doing this?" She weakly uttered.

"Must you really know why?" Mei walked away from the blonde and headed for the living room.

"I want to know."

A sigh sounded from the raven-haired girl before she answered, "There's no particular reason. I just realized that I was acting impulsively." Mei picked up her bag and started walking towards the door, "You're free to stay here until you find another place to lodge at. Goodbye, Yuzu." She told the blonde as she passed her.

Yuzu didn't want to let go of Mei, not like this, so she bolted from the floor and caught up to the raven-haired girl just as the latter reached for the knob. With weak limbs and shaking hands, she wrapped her arms around Mei, holding the girl from behind and burying her face into those luscious raven locks which she loved.

"Don't go, Mei." She sniffled pleadingly.

"Let go, Yuzu."

"I won't."

"Please... Just let go." Mei's voice cracked. Yuzu couldn't see the expression on the girl's face and honestly, she was terrified of knowing what kind of look Mei had at this moment. But regardless of her fear, Yuzu wouldn't let go. She knew that if she did, Mei would be as good as gone forever and that was something she couldn't live with.

"If I let you go now... I know I'll never see you again." Yuzu could feel Mei take in a sharp breath of air, followed by the slowing of the girl's heartbeat.

"Yuzu, I was going to spare your feelings but you're just pushing my patience." Yuzu instinctively backed away from Mei when the girl spoke.

"You want to know why I'm _really_ doing this? Fine. It's because my grandfather has already arranged for me to be engaged, but don't be mistaken, this was always going to happen." Mei kept her back turned.

'Stop.' Yuzu didn't want to hear this but she couldn't bring herself to verbalize those words.

"To be honest, I've been trying to tell you for a while now. Sadly, there's always something getting in the way whenever I try to."

'Stop, please stop.' Yuzu screamed in her mind, not wanting to hear more than this.

"I thought a lot about this and I realized that in the first place, I was just yearning for the warmth of another person. Some form of kindness that was a novelty, but that sort of thing loses value the more you receive it, doesn't it?"

Yuzu paced back further, her face contorted as she became increasingly horrified by the words that came out of Mei's mouth. She wanted to be told that it was a lie but that voice and unmistakable confidence said otherwise.

"The truth is that I never loved you, Yuzu."

That was it, the guillotine that came down and passed judgment on Yuzu. Her heart, her mind... her everything, had turned to ash. All this time, the things she fought for and everything she believed in, snuffed out like a candle in the dark night. There was nothing left to say, but...

"I love you, Mei." She weakly uttered with a smile on her face as she broke down completely.

"Thank you, and goodbye." Mei answered coldly as she twisted the knob on the door - leaving without ever looking back.

When the door closed, Yuzu was left alone, the setting red sun flooding in and illuminating the dull eyes that drowned in more tears than one should see in a lifetime. Mei left... she left her. The realization hit like a bullet passing through glass, shattering what little solace she had left.

They say that you'd never forget your first heartbreak and maybe that was all she was experiencing at the moment, but she didn't want it. She didn't want any of this. It hurt so bad that she felt like physical pain couldn't hold a candle to it. She wanted to disappear, to just stop feeling and drown in darkness. She wanted to be destroyed, to be unfeeling, to be nothing, but most of all, she wanted to be lied to.

She wanted Mei to come back and tell her that it was all a joke, that she loved her and she wouldn't leave her like this. She didn't care if it was just a lie, it was all she wanted to hear.

With her ring in hand, she cried and cried and cried until there were no more tears left to shed, yet even as her tears dried up, she still wailed. She wanted to pretend like this was all a dream, that she'd wake up from at some point but the pain she felt in her heart was all too real to be imagined.

Just outside the door, the source of the blonde's sadness stood. Mei closed her eyes and flattened her back against the cold wood that separated her from Yuzu. 'This is the right thing to do. This is for the best.' She told herself in repetition. She even convinced herself that this would pass eventually, but the ache in her chest reminded her of what an utter joke that is.

Mei closed her eyes and placed her hand on top of her ailing heart. Tears started running down her face as she listened to the sound of Yuzu's anguished cries.

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Notes:

*Furiously types the chapter out while depressing songs play aggressively in the background.*

Yes. I opened the chapter with sad shit and finished it with even sadder shit. You all knew this was coming! (￣∇￣;)))( ((((;＿⊿＿)

I extend an apology to the people who absolutely did not want to see Mei leave Yuzu in favor of her grandfather's wishes, but this was always part of my concept and I wasn't willing to forego it.

And yes, I don't like Sara very much. That's why she's dead.

* * *

Chapter 36 (Manga) rant ahead, has nothing to do with the fanfic:

I realize that a lot of people really hated Mei for the decision she made on the infamous 36th chapter of Citrus, but I always felt like Yuzu was equally guilty of that outcome. Mei wanted to tell her, but Yuzu decided she was too scared to hear what Mei had to say and avoided the conversation entirely. If she had made a different choice then, maybe she and Mei could've talked it out but eh-

Stupod Yuzu being stupod Yuzu decided that it was better to pretend like nothing's wrong and try to fix things by going on a date. Sure, Mei should've pushed through with talking about it, but you can't just blame her for everything. Yuzu literally took it easy and smiled while Mei slowly broke apart with the burden she carried.

FeelsMeiMan. (눈_눈)


	53. Chapter 52: The Ones Left Behind

Matsuri impatiently tapped her finger on the desk while her mobile phone rang a few times. It's been a few days since Yuzu's suspension and since then, they haven't heard much from the girl. The blonde didn't even answer her phone for the first two days. On the third day, Matsuri couldn't take it anymore, so she went to Mei's apartment, knocked on the door and waited for someone to greet her. After two hours, she realized that no one was there; no Mei, no Yuzu.

As if it wasn't bad enough that they had the entire Udagawa issue to deal with, now Yuzu and Mei went and disappeared. Matsuri was fully prepared to file a missing person's report after that, but then a text message came. 'I'm fine. Sorry, I've been out of it lately (´；ω；｀)' The blonde said with her usual set of emoticons.

A few messages were exchanged between the two, but Yuzu refused to answer the majority of her questions and no calls were taken by the blonde. In the end, Matsuri gave up and let it go for the day. She understood that everything must've been weighing Yuzu down, and maybe she just needed a bit more time to cope with it.

Of course, Matsuri, much like Yuzu, was never someone that could be called 'patient' and two days later, she was back at it; spamming calls and messages on Yuzu's inbox, hoping to get an idea on how she was doing.

"Hello?" Yuzu finally answered. Her voice sounded hoarse and raspy, like she had been screaming for days on end.

"Yuzu-chan!? Where are you? I've been trying to call you since forever. Are you okay?" Matsuri threw question after question without pause. For a while, she thought that maybe Yuzu had gotten kidnapped and impersonated, but that thought quickly dispersed at hearing the blonde's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I went back home for a bit."

"You don't sound fine. I've known you long enough, Yuzu-chan. Did you have a fight with Mei-san?" Matsuri isn't stupid. She's known Yuzu for so long that she could easily tell when something felt off; And it's not just the voice, but the whole demeanor.

"N-no. We're okay. I'm just taking a break and she's staying with her grandfather so..."

"Hmmm..." She attempted to pressure Yuzu into spilling her secrets.

"Matsuri, I need to go now. Mama might come home at any minute and I haven't cleaned up yet. Sorry, let's talk tomorrow!" Yuzu abruptly excused herself in a cheerful but forced tone.

"Ah! Wait Yuzu-" The line disconnected. Yuzu was obviously hiding something and it was really getting on Matsuri's nerves now. The secrecy, the dishonesty, when did Yuzu become such a different person. She flicked her tongue, annoyed at the thought that pervaded her mind. Of course, it would have something to do with Mei. She should've known.

Five in the afternoon and Matsuri was still filling every bit of the police station with murderous intent and rage. Everyone could easily tell that the office was off-limits because of her mood. Even Nene went to run and hide somewhere, having known Matsuri long enough to make that smart decision. There was only ever one person who didn't give a crap about how angry she was, that being the plum-haired girl who lounged at Nene's desk.

"You look like you could kill someone." Harumi nonchalantly commented as she browsed through Yuzu's notes and documents.

"She hung up on me..." The girl scowled and slammed her mobile phone on the table, startling Harumi in the process.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" She looked at Matsuri and examined the growing scowl on her face, "Was that Yuzu-cchi? You finally got through to her? How is she? Is she okay? Where is she?" Harumi walked up to the pink-haired girl while asking a ton of questions.

"She's at her hometown. Now tell me, what exactly happened when you dropped her off?" Matsuri bit her cheek. She felt a little unhinged at the turn of events. Yuzu disappeared for a few days and now she isn't being herself. The way the blonde ran as soon as Mei's name got included in the conversation was really suspicious. 'That bitch... I even warned her. What did she do to Yuzu-chan?' She thought to herself while she waited for Harumi to answer.

"Hmmm, there's not much to say. We talked a bit and she was okay after that. I mean... as okay as you can get in this type of situation."

"What about Mei-san, did you see her?"

"Prez.? No. I didn't go up though."

"Why are you being so useless, Taniguchi-senpai?" Matsuri scoffed, obviously disappointed at the lack of information.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to prove she had a reason to shoot Udagawa instead of walking her up to the elevator." Harumi shot back. She wasn't going to jump into Matsuri's provocations, especially not when there are much more important things to do.

"Whatever. Let's go to Yuzu-chan. I wanna see if she's really okay."

Harumi returned to Nene's desk and continued reading the documents that she brought with her, "You go on ahead." She said.

"What?! You won't even visit Yuzu-chan?" Matsuri flew off of her chair and slammed both of her palms on the documents in front of Harumi, "She might really need someone right now, you know?!"

"I'm sure you can handle it." Harumi lowered the stack of paper in her hands, but didn't look up as she continued, "I can't see her like this... not without any good news... 'ya know?"

Matsuri looked at the plum-haired girl who was obviously bothered by how slow she was progressing on the case. There was a time when Matsuri only thought of Harumi as someone she could tease and play around with whenever she was bored. Even now she had a love-hate relationship with the girl.

"You're surprisingly dedicated, Taniguchi-senpai."

Dedicated wasn't a word that Harumi would describe herself. It's just that this is Yuzu they were talking about... and she wasn't about to let her best friend go down like this. Not even if she has to lose a limb or two in the process. But the more she read the documents and notes, the more it didn't make sense. Every single clue pointed towards Udagawa, there was no question about that. The odd thing is, there is barely any evidence against him.

Like some conniving spider, Udagawa somehow managed to lead them towards him without leaving any hard evidence. 'Come and get me, if you can.' Was the impression that Harumi got from everything. Something wasn't right, like they were missing something that hid in plain sight. An educated and murderous chameleon, a woman who got too close to the truth and paid with her life, the brother who was used for someone else's game, and a man who was despicable enough that no one questioned his guilt; How do they all intersect?

"Matsuri! Harumi-senpai!" Nene shouted as she entered into the room, "You won't- Yuzu-senpai- Udagawa" She gasped for air in between talking.

"What are you incoherently rambling about?" Matsuri furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to decode the chopped speech.

"Can you say that again, Nene? Maybe take a breather first before you do."

Nene did as she was told and leveled her breathing before speaking again, "The Udagawas are dropping their complaint against Yuzu-senpai." She gleefully said, eyes bursting with excitement at the good news.

"WHAT?!" Harumi and Matsuri shouted in chorus.

"Where did you hear that from?" Matsuri questioned the girl, having very little trust in what she said.

"I heard from Goro-senpai. He said to pass it on to you, so I ran as fast as I could."

"This is great! Now Yuzu-cchi will-" Harumi looked towards Matsuri and quickly realized the grim look on her face, "Matsuri, is that the face you make when you hear good news?" She teased the pink-haired girl.

"I need to go." Matsuri quickly scrambled around the office, picking up her mobile phone and headphones before quickly running towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Somewhere. I'll be back later." Matsuri answered before slamming the door behind her.

It took 30 minutes for Matsuri to walk from the police station to Aihara Academy. It was a good thing that she read on Yuzu and Harumi's cover detail instead of chucking it over to the side and labeling it as 'useless police crap.' If she hadn't read it, then she wouldn't have known Mei's schedule at all.

Matsuri leaned her back flat against the concrete fence of the academy, it was already 6:30 PM but if memory served right, Mei was likely to stay in and work on a few documents before leaving for the day and that would mean another 10 to 30 minutes tops. It's not an exact science, but at least she had something to go on.

And speaking of uncertainty... what she was about to do wasn't exactly a gamble but it might not mean anything either. However, if it was as she suspected, then Mei would have more guts than she ever thought the rich girl would have.

It didn't take long for her target to appear, "Mei-san!" Matsuri lifted her arm and greeted the raven-haired girl who had just exited the academy.

"Misuzawa-san, what brings you here?" Mei's expression was unchanging. It was even flatter than Matsuri remembered and the raven-haired girl was also visibly tired.

"There's just something I need to ask you about."

"Is it official police business?" Mei asked aggressively. It seemed as though the animosity between them was mutual.

"You could say that." Matsuri gave a devilish smirk, "But let's not talk here. I don't want to stand for too long, I walked all the way here after all."

Matsuri watched, but to her disappointment, nothing changed in the girl's expression. She was the same dead-eyed fish that Matsuri always thought her to be.

"All right. Where to?"

"Hmmm. How about that?" Matsuri pointed at a nearby crepe shop with a cafe style interior. She remembered how Yuzu went on and on about some crepes that were sold near the school and she promised to take Matsuri there but it never came to fruition. To think that she'd be visiting that same crepe shop with the person called Aihara Mei was absolutely not what she wanted, but it was a necessity.

"So, Mei-san. Do you know where Yuzu-chan is?" Matsuri started off as she sat down on the table and ordered two crepes; one for herself and another one for her unwilling companion.

"My Father said that she returned to her hometown for the time being." Mei gave a straight answer, no emotions whatsoever. "Mizusawa-san, what does this have to do with the police?"

Matsuri slumped on her seat and placed her hands inside the pocket of her jacket. She observed Mei, but the girl wasn't flinching at all. "Well, Yuzu-chan is part of the police, isn't she?" She gave a dry laugh before continuing, "Mei-san, do you remember what we talked about at the hospital? After Amemiya appeared at the academy?"

"Yes."

"I blamed you for what happened to Yuzu-chan and I told you that you'll be the end of her. Honestly, I was really surprised to find you at the hospital back then. I mean, you probably abused your friendship with eyebrow-chan to stay the night, didn't you?"

"Yes, I remember." Mei answered without confirming any of the other allegations and assumptions that were thrown her way.

"Man~ I was so pissed at seeing Yuzu-chan like that. But then I thought, this person must actually like Yuzu-chan otherwise she wouldn't bother to stay at the hospital... or maybe she just felt guilty, but regardless... What I mean to say is, what are you doing now?"

"I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, however, I believe that this conversation is not of legal matters but of personal ones. If you have nothing else to say, then I'll be taking my leave." Mei got up from her seat and slung her bag over one shoulder.

"Funny thing, Mei-san~ You know, I just heard something today. Wanna know what it is?" Matsuri smirked at Mei, her expression told a thousand words without needing to utter any of it.

"What are you playing at?" Mei fought back, unwilling to concede.

"How about you sit back down, Mei-san? I'd hate for you to tire yourself out." Matsuri could tell that Mei hated every second of the conversation. The girl's personality just didn't allow for this type of smugness, but Matsuri enjoyed every second of it.

Surprisingly, Mei gave very little resistance and returned to her seat. Waiting for whatever Matsuri had to throw at her, "Well?" She glared at Matsuri, impatience oozing from every inch of her.

"Did you know that Yuzu-chan got suspended?"

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

"Yes."

"I see, I see. That's good, Mei-san."

Matsuri kept quiet for a while. She didn't know how to deal with Mei because she couldn't read the expressions on her face as clearly as she could on any other person. Matsuri always believed that if you tick on the right boxes for long enough, you would be able to see the tiny cracks on a person's facade. Right now, she was playing with fire and she needed to throw the right cards in order to confirm the idea in her head.

"Is that all?" Mei's impatient voice cut through the silence.

If there was anything that Matsuri managed to learn from her brief interactions with Mei, it would be her impatient and aggressive nature.

"Oh, sorry." Matsuri gave an obviously insincere apology, "I was just enjoying the ambiance, you know?" She kept egging Mei on, pushing the girl just a little bit closer to instability. Of course, the ice queen wasn't budging at all. Her expression had gone sour and she was obviously annoyed, but that was it.

"You know, Yuzu-chan's gone off the grid and we were so worried..." Matsuri watched closely without blinking as she narrated, "And then all of a sudden, we find out that the Udagawas decided to pull back and let bygones be bygones." She gave a fake sigh of relief, completely playing with the entire situation. And there it was, a small crack on the stone cold facade of the person in front of her.

Matsuri placed her hands on the table, fingers interlocked with each other as she knowingly stared at Mei, "You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?" The smirk and smugness were gone from Matsuri's features, replaced by a more serious look that didn't really suit her well.

"No."

"Really?" She inched a little closer to Mei, her gaze boring holes right into Mei's eyes.

"Yes."

"I guess I'll just have to believe you, Mei-san." Matsuri smiled solemnly and didn't utter another word. She liked bullying people, loved making fun of them, but how can she when the girl in front of her looked like- nah, this wasn't something she felt comfortable dealing with and that said a lot considering her inconsiderate personality. She told herself as she looked at the woman who was bringing in their order.

"Ah, ma'am." Matsuri called the waitress as she turned to leave, "We didn't order the cake." She pointed at the delicious chocolate dessert that was placed on the table.

"Oh, it's on the house. For the young lady over there." The waitress pointed at a startled Mei, "I'm sorry, you looked down and we thought it would cheer you up a bit. Does it bother you?" She asked.

"No, thank you. But please, let me pay for it." Mei insisted but was quickly turned down.

"Do you always give food away like this?" Matsuri asked with a hint of annoyance. 'Why is Mei getting all the good things in life?' she thought.

"Ah, no. Not really. This young miss just looks like Fumiko-chan, a regular customer we used to have here." The woman smiled warmly, "She used to buy cakes for people who looked down."

"... You make it sound like she died." Matsuri gave a disapproving grunt.

"She did. Shimizu Fumiko, she was all over the news some time back. I guess you would've heard of her." The woman commented off-handedly before turning to Mei, "Hang in there." She gave Mei a pat on the shoulder, then excused herself.

"That name does sound familiar." Matsuri shrugged. It bothered her a little but she didn't really remember where she heard it.

* * *

Notes:

Hello ┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬,

I'm really sorry to have left this at the previous chapter for a week. I planned on working with the other story over the holidays but it took longer than I expected and then it also swung my mood around; happy fluffs and depressing crap really don't mix very well.

Anyway, moving on. Yes, the previous chapter was a make or break for me, I re-wrote it a lot because I wanted to get the tone of it to a level that could get Yuzu's state across - utterly broken, and hopefully, that got through.

I always thought of Mei as the type of person who would be more mellow and honest when it came to written conversations, but in an actual confrontation, she tends to be dishonest and aggressive. I had two ideas to go about this: A) Yuzu would come home to a letter and it would be a lighter scene, or B) She would come home to Mei writing the letter and this would be a confrontational scenario.

Obviously, I went with B because I wanted Yuzu to break apart; like really get it through her dense skull that she was not making the right choices and that was affecting everyone even without her knowing - a messiah complex, if you will.

In a way, this ties in with how I view Yuzu and Mei's concern over her actions (manga). She tends to think 'If I just work hard enough, everything will be fine.' Which is almost always never the case when you're thrown into harsh realities.

* * *

Thanks for the lovely words! And if I have enough time today, I'll upload another chapter. I'm really sorry about the delays.

So, how do you people think this will end? ( ´･ω･`)_且~

* * *

"gawddamnitmeiididntneedthissodangearlyinthefreakingmorning" - Guest

^ Made me laugh like a brainless little shit.


	54. Chapter 53: Falling into Darkness

"Matsuri, I need to go now. Mama might come home at any minute and I haven't cleaned up yet. Sorry, let's talk tomorrow!" Yuzu tried to sound as cheerful as possible. She knew it wouldn't fool Matsuri, not in the least bit. The pink-haired girl is the Queen of Mischief after all and there was no way such a poor attempt would fool her.

"Ah! Wait Yuzu-" A single press of a button ended the call before Matsuri could make any further attempt at unlocking her little secrets.

It's been five days since Mei left Yuzu alone in the apartment and if she was being honest, she hasn't been 'right' ever since. Barely answering messages, not taking any calls, refusing to eat, and all the usual signs of a complete and total heartbreak. Of course, she understood the implications of her actions and she did feel bad for doing it. She just didn't feel like seeing or talking to anyone - not even Matsuri and Harumi.

Everything was just plain and utter hell.

The first day was the easiest. Yuzu was so tired; work, stress, tears, and heartache combining to make sure she would cry herself to sleep which, in turn, gave her no recollection of ever falling into deep slumber. Waking up in such a hazy state, She began to wonder if the events from the previous day actually occurred or if they were just figments of her imagination, a Frankenstein's monster created by bits and pieces of her horrible day. It was something like a bad dream that wakes you in cold sweat, but once you wake up, you realize that everything's fine and it was all just a nightmare.

The second day was when she was forced to look at reality. Mei left, but there was still a sliver of hope that the girl would return and make amends. In hindsight, it was probably stupid to assume that but she just couldn't get it out of her head - a wish that Mei would apologize and set things right between them. Yuzu wouldn't even hold anything against her. She would accept the apology in a heartbeat and she would tell Mei that she loved her all the same. Not a drop of affection lost in the crash.

So she sat in the living room of the apartment, her chair facing the door as she waited for something: a phone call, a text message or if she was lucky enough, Mei herself running through the door. It didn't really matter which, she just wanted something... anything from Mei.

The sun stood high and proud, then it sunk to the depths and hid behind the moon but nothing came. No text, no call, and definitely no Mei, but Yuzu kept herself seated. Unmoving in the dark, she continued to hope that something would come. Her hallowed eyes staring blankly at the door even when she could barely see it.

The third day was by far the hardest. The fear of missing a text kept her from sleeping, all the while, the pain in her heart demanded that she sleep through it. The heartache that she felt combined with her optimistic outlook, continued to lull her into a false sense of hope. A desperate wish that maybe, as the days passed on, Mei would find it in her heart to return.

Yuzu barely slept, didn't eat, and she could barely feel anything. Her senses had gone numb on account of the emotional pain that bombarded her. At this point, her eyes had run out of tears and her muffled cries had turned into fine sand that filled her mouth, preventing any further wails.

In her current condition, every second that ticked by was amplified and time felt slow. Minutes only served to remind her that this entire apartment had been halved; the temperature, color, and voices that once flooded every corner of the house was gone. Mei had taken half of everything with her, including a large chunk of Yuzu. It's a very difficult feeling to explain... she felt like a part of her was gone, like being half of a whole and a black hole took residence in the emptiness.

Yuzu was always a bubbling shine of happiness and she knew that, but apparently, even the happiest of people can break down and become completely unguarded against the ravishes of despair. She bit back, as hard as she could. It was the only choice she had, otherwise the painful memories would resurface.

She would remember Mei's icy voice.

* * *

"I thought a lot about this and I realized that in the first place, I was just yearning for the warmth of another person.  
Some form of kindness that was a novelty, but that sort of thing loses value the more you receive it, doesn't it?"

* * *

The way that Mei didn't even bother to look at her.

* * *

"The truth is that I never loved you, Yuzu."

* * *

'That's right, Mei never loved me. She made that pretty clear' She thought. It would be easy to feel betrayed, to feel anger instead of anguish, but she couldn't bring herself to hate Mei and she didn't have the courage to go confront her either... but that was when she realized it. Three days spent in total darkness, all for the sole conclusion that it didn't matter. None of this mattered. Even if Mei didn't want to see her anymore, even if she didn't love her or never loved her. It didn't matter. She would still protect Mei, even if it was away from the girl, in the shadows and even if Mei would never know.

Yuzu got up, wiped her tears and packed her bags. She then headed for the hospital and visited Sho, returning the house key to him and giving some excuse as to why she's suddenly leaving the apartment. A fake smile plastered on her lips in an attempt to fool the older Aihara, which he seemed to believe, or so she hoped.

Now here she was, two days later, sitting alone inside a rented car. Yuzu followed Udagawa wherever he went, trying to see if he was engaging in any suspicious activities but so far he was being nothing but 'normal.' There were the occasional visitations to the Udagawa family businesses, but as Kei said, the eldest son of the Udagawas was not in the country, meaning Yasu might still be filling in his brother's vacant spot.

It wasn't sunshine and rainbows to find him either. She went and searched around for businesses and establishments that she knew belonged to the Udagawa family and by chance, she found him at the same restaurant that was in one of Kei's photos. It was extremely frustrating because, after all that effort, all she saw him do was dine in a fine cafe or an extravagant restaurant... but today was a little different. Udagawa Yasu had gone to a smaller establishment, a family restaurant at that. Still, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

The headlights of an oncoming vehicle momentarily illuminated Yuzu's rugged features, causing her to stare at her own reflection for a good few seconds; pale complexion, rings under her eyes, and cracked lips, all obvious signs that she had let go of herself - but she couldn't care less about that, not until she got answers. A faint smile momentarily appeared on her lips when she thought about how Harumi would feel if the girl saw her in this state. Maybe she'd laugh... no, she'd definitely be furious and lecture Yuzu on the importance of maintaining one's 'gyaru spirit.'

"Who would've known I'd end up like this?" A half-laugh sounded in the empty vehicle.

Yuzu really hated doing these stakeouts. If there was anyone else to rely on or there was another way to go about things, then she would definitely not be doing this at all. Being alone only served to make her think about all the unfortunate things and her misgivings, like hands gripping and pulling from her own shadow - drowning her in its wake.

'Snap out of it.' She told herself with a strong slap on each side of her cheeks. There was no time to be falling into that catatonic state... not yet. There would be all the time in the world after all of this is resolved, but for now, she needed to watch Udagawa who had just left the restaurant and headed into his car.

The engine roared with a twist of a key; loud enough that anyone would've noticed it. Fortunately, Yuzu had learned of her past negligence and this time she made sure to plan ahead; A different car for a different day. Even if she slipped up and Udagawa looked at the car that might be 'following' him, it would be a different car every time and he would never suspect a thing.

Shifting the gear to drive, Yuzu stepped on the gas and prepared to follow Udagawa into the night, but her car quickly came to a screeching halt as she passed through the front of the restaurant. Aoi Aya and Nagai Izumi had just left the restaurant and were making their way towards the street. Homura Mio's friends lived pretty far from this district, there was absolutely no way this was a coincidence.

Yuzu stepped out of the car without even bothering to turn off the engine. She ran after the two women and shouted at them in an attempt to get their attention.

"Detective Okogi-san?" Nagai asked as Yuzu approached them.

"Y-yes. I'm sorry for calling out all of a sudden."

"Sorry, detective. You're looking a little rough, are you okay?" Nagai attempted to come near Yuzu, but Aoi blocked her path and didn't allow the girl to proceed any further.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit too much work." Yuzu feigned a smile in an attempt to disperse the situation, but the look on both Aoi and Nagai's eyes spoke volumes on their growing concern. Honestly, she didn't think her current condition was that bad. At least not bad enough to warrant all the staring.

"Um- so, what do you need?" Nagai asked after a moment's silence.

"Oh! Sorry, can we take this inside? I actually have a few questions and I just-"

"What's it about?" Aoi quickly interjected.

"It's... about Homura Mio-san. I was just wondering if you could-"

"Wasn't it already solved? The news said that the perpetrator was her boyfriend." Aoi's glare was telling Yuzu another story... these two, they were hiding something.

"Please, Aoi-san, Nagai-san. It won't take long, I just have some questions." Yuzu bowed her head and asked pleadingly, hoping to get through.

"I'm sorry, Okogi-san. You look like a nice girl but we don't have anything else to add." Nagai shifted closer to Aoi as if to instinctively shield her and at that moment, Yuzu realized that she didn't have the best reputation in the world... Udagawa probably told them how she had shot him.

Yuzu straightened herself and lowered her head, "Can I just ask... were you with Udagawa Yasu just now?"

"I don't see how that's any of your-"

"It _IS_ my business!" Yuzu cut Nagai off, "Do you two even understand what type of person he is?!" She shouted at the two women who were visibly shaken by the sudden outburst, but the blonde didn't care enough to suppress her anger. "What is it? Are you working for him? Was all that concern over Homura Mio just your little ploy? Because you seriously had us foo-" A hand flew past Yuzu's face, striking her hard and causing her to go silent.

"How dare you." Aoi glared at her.

"Leave or we'll call the police. Don't think we haven't heard about what you've done. What you've all done." Nagai seconded as she held back a tearful Aoi.

Yuzu knew she looked like the bad guy here. How is it that Udagawa was able to turn the tables on her so thoroughly like this, it sickened her. "So what? You're just going to believe his words over mine? What do you even know?" She uttered bitterly at the two, averting her eyes as she cradled her cheek.

"And why should we believe you? We met you once." Nagai answered with equal bitterness.

"But that doesn't mean that I-" The buzzing of her mobile phone interrupted whatever she was about to say, and looking at the name plastered on the screen, she knew she couldn't ignore it. Time was up.

"Answer it, Okogi-san. We're done here anyway and we'll be taking our leave. Don't follow us and don't come near us or we _will_ be reporting you." Nagai urged Yuzu as if she realized that the blonde was torn in between answering the call and pursuing her inquiry. And without even waiting for Yuzu's answer, the two immediately went ahead and left her behind.

'Damn it.' Yuzu thought. This was definitely not going the way she wanted it to, "Hello? Mama!" She answered the call, once again faking that happy tune as if nothing was wrong.

"Yuzu! Where are you?" Ume whined.

"Sorry, Mama. I got caught up in something but I'll come and pick you up now."

"You're already 10 minutes late anyway. Why not just abuse it, right?!" Ume continued whining, albeit playfully.

"I'm really sorry, Mama! I'll be there as fast as I can!" Yuzu assured her mother, though she did lie a bit. After all, she would need to put on liberal amounts of make-up to hide the state of her complexion... and even more on her heart to hide the pain.

Things were equally bleak back at the police station. Harumi had been going through document after document after document but she still couldn't find anything that would nail Udagawa's name on the board. Leaning back on the chair, the plum-haired girl released a loud sigh and shut her eyes. She was really getting nowhere and it was becoming apparent that maybe, just _maybe_ , Yuzu was wrong and Udagawa wasn't the person they were trying to prove him to be.

'No.' Harumi sighed inwardly as she bolted up from the chair and slapped her cheeks twice. 'I'm not going to doubt Yuzu, there must be something.' And with that thought, she returned to her seat and went through everything one more time.

First, she went through the latest case, Kurosawa's death. According to the official reports, Kurosawa was shot with the same gun type as Yuzu's though the bullets didn't match the markings from the blonde's gun, which immediately cleared her of from being a suspect. Of course, Udagawa was the only other person there but according to the tests, he didn't fire a gun, especially not more than once. A dead end. Either Udagawa got rid of evidence or Yuzu had a second gun.

A third wheel was unlikely and that was solidified by the amount of time in between Yuzu hearing the shots and arriving to find Udagawa and Kurosawa. There wouldn't have been enough time for anyone else to leave without Yuzu seeing them.

Next was the murder of the Yamamoto brothers, a disturbing one. There was no evidence found at the crime scene, at least no DNAs or anything but if Yuzu's thoughts were to be considered, the note left behind would've been addressed to Kurosawa and according to the blonde, that was probably the reason why Kurosawa was spurred into action. Unfortunately, that can't be verified now that Kurosawa is dead.

The van at the scene was traced back to the Yamamoto brothers. Testimonies also confirmed that the two are working for a local loan shark, whom the police questioned but got no information from. At this point, no one would even be surprised if that loan shark turned up dead too. Aside from that, Harumi learned that the Yamamoto brothers have been the one harassing the Homuras over their family debt and on top of everything, they found Homura Mio's DNA inside the back of the van.

Looking closer at the laundromat that the brothers worked at also proved useful, so much in fact that Harumi just wanted to send every single document to Yuzu. The laundromat was a front, behind the place was a full-scale operation of black market drugs; all types and kinds from hallucinogens to the usual street highs that people purchase. It was also the site where Homura Mio was tortured... the police quickly found her DNA all over the place and the location matched Yuzu's bridge theory.

The current working theory was that Homura Mio had received threats from the loan sharks and Amemiya Hideki had taken the liberty of telling Homura Makoto that they could ransom Aihara Mei in order to pay for the debt, but Yuzu's intervention caused that plan to fall apart. Then, Yuzu who had leaked Aihara Mei's name to Homura Mio, unintentionally caused the woman to question Amemiya about the kidnapping. Fearing his crimes as Doll Maker would be aired out, Amemiya kills Homura Mio and blames Aihara Mei for everything that happened, which leads to the events of the attempted murder of two Aiharas.

It's a great theory which was supported by a lot of evidence. Even the Doll Maker's victim pattern matched Amemiya's hatred of Aihara Mei. Everything fit perfectly... except there are still people who are dying. The loan shark collectors and Kurosawa, did they have anything to do with this?

Harumi slumped forward and landed her forehead square on the desk. Everything made perfect sense, there was definitely someone else out there who was pulling the strings but she couldn't prove that it was Udagawa. Loan sharks have a lot of enemies and Kurosawa, being the guy that he is, probably also had a lot of people out to get him.

'Thud!' the door banged loudly against the wooden walls as Matsuri returned to the office, her face even grimmer than before.

"Hey, Matsuri. What's wrong with you now?" Harumi rolled her head to the side and watched as the pink-haired girl grumbled and vehemently dropped herself on the chair, causing a loud squeak as the piston quickly compressed under the pressure she had exerted.

"Leave me alone, Taniguchi-senpai." Matsuri gripped at the armrest of her chair as she became lost in thought.

"I don't know what's happening with you, but don't you think you should lighten up? It's Yuzu-cchi's birthday tomorrow."

"I know when her birthday is. You don't need to remind me." Matsuri continued her gloomy rebellion and Harumi, being the more mature one, allowed the girl to throw a bit more tantrums and rejoiced to see that the girl opened up after a few minutes of silence, "I got caught up in a disgusting game and I don't know what to do." Matsuri sighed in defeat, sinking deeper into her chair.

"Well... we do what we can, don't we?"

"You can be really annoying, Taniguchi-senpai. I don't want to do what I can, I want to do everything that I can." Matsuri furrowed her eyebrows and started placing her headphones over her ears, unwilling to hear any more of Harumi's 'pep talk.'

"We're still celebrating with her whether you like it or not. You promised Ume-obasan. And besides, plugging your ears and listening to deafening levels of music doesn't really count as 'doing everything you can.'" Harumi quipped.

"I know." Matsuri gave another grunt of frustration. Everything has not been going her way at all, Yuzu hang up on her, Harumi was, and still is, annoying her, Mei is just a god damned piece of - and she even got a free cake for it... speaking of which, "Taniguchi-senpai, have you heard of the name Shimizu Fumiko?"

"Hmm... Yeah, hold on a sec." Harumi scoured through the documents she had just been going through and held up a photo of a girl with long black hair and green eyes a tinge darker than Yuzu's. "Is this her?"

"I don't know how she looks like. Just tell me who she is."

"HAH! I thought you'd know if I showed you a photo but... how do you _not_ know who she is?" Harumi had the most disappointed look on her face and she didn't even care if Matsuri noticed it or not. This was plain disappointing.

"What does it matter to me?"

"Matsuri..." Harumi sighed in annoyance before continuing in a more solemn tone, "Shimizu Fumiko was the first Doll Maker victim."

* * *

Notes:

Yes, there are a lot of side characters coming into play because this is coming close to the climax... well, coming close in my terms which practically means there's a lot more shit in between. HAHA.

* * *

*Guest - Breakdowns are so nice though! It removes that unchanging happiness from characters that are usually way too happy and gives them a bit of depth.

*Guest 2 - Nooooooo. Nooooooo. I love Matsuri but nooooooooo. In any case, there wouldn't be time to develop her further. It's actually one of my regrets that I wasn't able to develop Matsuri and Harumi in this fic. Though honestly, I would be more likely to write HarumixYuzu or ShiraponxYuzu than MatsurixYuzu. I just feel like Matsuri's feelings are more... 'platonic-ish' than she thinks they are.

*Sofichi - I'll discuss that later on.

*ImBroke - Is that a challenge to kill Mei? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


	55. Chapter 54: Cumbersome Celebration

Platters of food littered across the dining table as the Okogi family welcomed guests into their home in celebration of Yuzu's 23rd birthday. Yuzu was already hard at work with entertaining her friends and there wasn't a single moment that passed by where the blonde wasn't without company. 'A social butterfly through and through.' Ume smiled to herself as she placed a few more dishes on the table.

A single look at the birthday girl was enough to remind Ume that time really did go fast. It felt like it was just yesterday when she still dropped her daughter off to primary school and now here she was, mingling with people from all walks of life, solving crimes and most of all - getting herself in trouble.

"Ume-obasan." Matsuri greeted the older Okogi as she approached with a spare can of beer in hand.

"Matsuri-chan, enjoying yourself?" Ume gladly took the beer.

"Not really." The girl looked towards Yuzu's direction.

It was obvious that something had happened during Ume's absence, but it seemed like no one was willing to talk. Matsuri and Harumi were both... distant, like they were thinking about something that they didn't want anyone else to know, but Yuzu was by far the most suspicious. The blonde was wearing way more makeup than usual, she would occasionally put on a blank face and the worst part was that the girl was faking her smiles.

"Did something bad happen while I was away?"

"Not really." Matsuri quickly brushed off the question, making Ume question the entire situation even more. The girl then looked towards Ume, "It's just a little... problem, Ume-obasan. She'll forget about it in time." There was a mournful smile on her lips. It seems like everyone's mood was to put on a farce and Ume wasn't going to stand for it.

"I don't know what happened, Matsuri-chan. Looks like no one's willing to tell me either, so I'll just go straight to Yuzu for answers." Ume winked at Matsuri in an attempt to tease the girl. Of course, she knew it would work and just like that, the pink-haired devil caught her arm with a pained expression on her face.

"Please, Ume-obasan. Don't make it any harder for Yuzu-chan. She's already going through a lot."

Ume turned back towards the girl and gave her a soft pat on the head. Matsuri used to be such a small girl full of mischief and now she was almost as tall as Ume though her hair's still as pink as ever. She definitely grew up, but deep inside she was still the little girl who cared about Yuzu. "Matsuri-chan, I'm her mother. I would never make things hard for her. You understand that, right?" She spoke with great care and tenderness.

"But-"

"Trust me a little bit, okay?" Ume interjected with a gentle smile.

Matsuri didn't give an answer but the fact that she let go of Ume's arm was more than enough to give the older Okogi a hint. All of the adults who knew Yuzu's parents were always adamant on the fact that the blonde resembled her father a great deal, but this gentleness that her mother displayed was also something she inherited.

"Oh, Okogi-san." Kei greeted Ume as she approached Yuzu and her current companion.

"Hello Kei-san." Ume greeted back. She then took a closer look at the young man's face, squinting her eyes in the process. "You really do look a lot like Mei-chan, don't you? She giggled as she pulled away from Kei.

Ume's attention was all on Yuzu as she mentioned the raven-haired girl's name. The crack on the blonde's expression told her more than she expected. In the first place, it was already weird that Mei wasn't in attendance, but now was not the time to bring up such issues.

"Well... they are twins, Mama." Yuzu finally answered after a moment's silence. There was a faint giggle from the girl but Ume couldn't recognize that as anything but a forced laugh. It was obvious that no matter how much Yuzu tried to, she was not enjoying the party.

"I'll get it!" the blonde quickly took the chance to excuse herself as soon as the doorbell rang.

Finding herself alone with the other half of the Aihara twins, Ume decided to take the chance and ask about Mei. "By the way, Kei-san. I was wondering where Mei-chan is?" She asked with a childish tone that was reminiscent of Yuzu's when she semi-whines.

"Mei is a little busy with some family matters. I don't think she'll be able to pull away and attend." The young man scratched his neck as he lowered his head as if to apologize.

"I see, that's too bad. I was really looking forward to catching up with her."

"Mama! Look who's here!" Yuzu gleefully shouted from the door. Ume looked towards her daughter but a side glimpse of Kei's face caught her attention.

"What's wrong, Kei-san?" Ume asked a little concerned over the young man. "Uh, that is... isn't she a little scary? Like a Yakuza boss's daughter?" He asked nervously, prompting Ume to laugh a little louder than she intended. A few hard slaps were placed on the young man's back as the laughs resounded through the room.

"Good evening, Okogi-san." Shiraho greeted the older Okogi before handing a bag full of gifts, "These are souvenirs from my trip. Please enjoy them." She bowed before gazing up at Kei. Her curious eyes probing that face which was every bit as glorious as the female half. "You must be Aihara Mei's twin brother." She finally greeted him after some time.

"Eh? You know each other, Shirapon-senpai?" Yuzu asked with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"No, Yuzupon. This is the first time I'm meeting him."

"Then how do you know he's Mei's twin?"

"How do I put this..." Shiraho looked up to the left side and cupped her chin, "When I was still in Aihara Academy, I thought that Aihara Mei was a goddess." Ume almost laughed again when she heard the last word, but nagged herself to stay quiet and listen to the rest of what the green-haired girl was saying. "I believe that every person has a crack in their facade and through those cracks, you learn about them. Aihara Mei guarded her heart so thoroughly that I could never see any of that... at least not until-" A short pause and the girl looked towards Yuzu as if she was about to say something but decided not to.

"Never mind. In any case, you have the same aura about you. Guarded and unreadable, as expected of Aihara Mei's twin!" Shiraho excitedly shouted. "Also, he does resemble Aihara Mei a little bit, does he not?

In between the dumb look on Yuzu's face, Kei's confused expression and the twinkle in Shiraho's eyes, Ume lost all control and started laughing unbelievably loud, tears nearly falling from her eyes at the realization that hit her.

A few feet away, Matsuri sighed loudly at the display. 'So much for leaving it to her,' she thought. Ume was just as childish as Yuzu was most of the time, but she did have a lot of respect for the older Okogi... it's just that she didn't have any idea on what was really happening.

"Looks like Ume-obasan is enjoying herself." Harumi spoke as she approached the pink-haired girl who was standing beside the kitchen counter.

"A little too much."

"How much did you tell her? You know, about Yuzu-cchi?" Harumi took a plastic cup and poured some soda in it, then took a sip.

"Not much. I told her that Yuzu-cchi saved Mei-san and that she played a big role in catching Doll Maker."

"But you didn't tell her anything about the suspension?"

"Nope."

"You know she's going to find out eventually, right?" Harumi leaned her upper body on the counter, her chin firmly planted on the palm of her hand.

"That's going to be Yuzu-chan's problem, not mine. I don't want to be the one to tell Ume-obasan about that." Matsuri stretched her arms out and sighed deeply. It wasn't just Ume that she was keeping in the dark... it was practically everyone. There was a tinge of guilt in her heart, a gnawing feeling that maybe this wasn't the right thing to do... but if everything is for Yuzu's sake, then she'd gladly deal with the consequences should the blonde ever find out.

"You still didn't answer my question from yesterday," Harumi called out to her, the girl's amber eyes partly hidden by her bangs as she gazed up towards Matsuri. "Did you go to Aihara Academy to meet Prez.?"

"I told you, Yuzu-chan promised to take me to that crepe shop. I was hungry so I just decided to go and try it out for myself." Matsuri scoffed, then rolled her eyes in an attempt to sway Harumi.

"So, you're telling me that you got hungry and decided to walk - what? 30 mins to grab a crepe?" Harumi's accusatory glance was becoming more evident by the second.

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Taniguchi-senpai." Matsuri answered defensively, then a brilliant idea popped into her head. Mimicking Harumi, she leaned on the counter and closed the space between them, "Are you just asking me because you're jealous that I'm meeting someone behind your back, senpai? I didn't know you felt that way about me." She continued with a sly grin and those usual mischievous eyes.

"Stupid." Harumi flicked Matsuri's forehead, causing the pink-haired girl to fall back and place a hand over it. "I don't know what you're doing, but make sure that you're making the right choices." Harumi warned her before walking away and joining Yuzu's group.

"Thanks for the advice, Senpai." Matsuri mumbled to herself.

A few drinks, a round of laughter and finally the blowing of birthday candles were underway. The guests seemed to have enjoyed themselves and before everyone knew it, the time had gotten late and it was time to end the festivities. Yuzu felt a little exhausted at how much talking she did for the past few hours. Normally these events are a walk in the park for her, but she still wasn't feeling like her usual self and as such, she was heavily troubled by the fact that Matsuri and Harumi didn't seem like they had any plans to leave.

"Are you guys staying over?" Yuzu asked the two who were lounging about on the sofa. Harumi was completely sober, but Matsuri seemed like she had one too many cans of beer, an unfortunate circumstance that led from her challenging Ume in a drinking contest.

"Actually..." Harumi scratched her head as she tried to tell Yuzu the real reason why they were staying over.

"I asked them to stay." Ume chimed in. The older Okogi, though not as incapacitated as Matsuri, was also visibly drunk. "It was supposed to be an early surprise but I got held back a few days." Ume slurred as she spoke, obviously a little more inebriated than she appeared.

"What?" Yuzu raised an eyebrow in question.

"Weeeeeeeeell~" Ume playfully sat down beside Harumi, sandwiching the girl between two drunks. "I heard from Matsuri that you worked hard these past few weeks." Yuzu felt her chest tighten at those words. She kept the whole incident from her mother and she was worried about how much Matsuri had told her. "And basically, I got us a house that's closer to your work!" Ume cheerfully exclaimed.

"Eh?" Yuzu was once again at a loss for words. Her mother just did the most random things without much thought or discussion. "We don't really have to move, Mama." The blonde tried to reason with her mother, but the latter was adamant in her decision.

"I know that your agreement with Mei-chan was only to stay there until her safety was secured." There it was again. Even the most casual mention of Mei's name would darken Yuzu's mood and grip at her heart and no one even knew. "Don't worry. You'll love the place! In fact, I snagged it up as soon as I saw it!" Her mother continued without a clue.

"Um, okay. But what does that have to do with Matsuri and Harumin?"

"We're going to help with the packing." Harumi smiled at Yuzu as she pushed a clingy Matsuri away.

* * *

Notes:

ImBroke HAHA! No, no. I won't kill Mei. I love her too much for that. I was just kidding.


	56. Chapter 55: A Need to Know

"God damn it, Yuzu-chan. You own too much stuff." Matsuri complained as she opened one of the larger boxes in the room and started filling it up with Yuzu's clothes.

"Sorry... they just kind of er- accumulated over the years." The blonde averted her gaze when it was met by Matsuri's condemning eyes. She obviously didn't believe a word that came out of Yuzu's mouth. Honestly, who would? Even Yuzu knew that she had shopaholic tendencies especially when Harumi was with her. "Still, I can't believe Mama actually decided to permanently move closer to the city."

Yuzu thought back on how much of her life had been spent living in this small and modest house. She never thought there would be a day when she'd leave it, to be honest. Which was kind of immature, now that she thought about it. Her idea was that even when she got married, she would continue to live with her mother and then the Okogi family home would be filled with children's laughter again, just like it was when she was still a kid - not that it was going to happen and for more than one reason.

Nevertheless, every room of the house held a special memory for her. The living room where she and Ume often bonded while watching TV, the kitchen where she first learned how to cook, even the gouges that she left on the dining table; an unfortunate result of a school project and the reason why she learned why Ume had reminded her time and time again why she shouldn't use a box cutter on the table.

"Yuzu-chan, are you okay?" Matsuri inquired upon noticing the melancholic expression on Yuzu's face. "Yeah, I was just thinking about how sad it is that I can't bring some items with me." She answered while wiping tears from her eyes.

"Like what?"

"Well..." Yuzu approached the wall on one side of her bedroom and pointed at a few notches on the wall, "Papa started this as soon as I was able to stand straight. A height chart that he religiously kept until... you know. After that, Mama continued it." A solemn smile was on her lips as she remembered how much she'd fidget around whenever Kyou would ask her to stand beside the wall.

"You can always tell Ume-obasan that you don't want to move, Yuzu-chan. You know she's doing this for you."

"Yeah, I know. But this isn't all that bad, I mean-" Yuzu grunted as she carried one of the packed boxes and stacked it on top of another, "I will be closer to you and Harumin... and the police station, if they let me come back." The blonde gave a nervous laugh and scratched her head in embarrassment. The birthday party and the events of today had distracted her enough to forget about her problems, but she couldn't run from them forever.

"Actually, about that Yuzu-cchi-" Harumi chimed in as she entered the bedroom, a few collapsed boxes in her hands. The plum-haired girl looked back out the door and checked to see if Ume was busy doing something else before turning around and shutting the door behind her, "The Udagawas decided to pull back on their lawsuit. Of course, your suspension still stands, but at least you don't have to deal with them anymore." She smiled at Yuzu, eyes brimming with happiness as she handed her the boxes.

"Eh?" The blonde raised her brows as if to question what she just heard, "Why would they suddenly do that? They were out to skin me just a few days ago and then this?" Despite the good news, Yuzu couldn't help but wonder why the Udagawas suddenly decided on pulling back from the case. Maybe they just felt like it wasn't worth their time to pursue a case against a lowly detective, but still...

"Who knows. I thought maybe the chief had something to do with it, but since Matsuri over there had no idea until Nene told us, seems like that wasn't the case." Harumi had her reservations, she felt like Matsuri did know something but that the girl wasn't willing to share whatever information she learned. Plus, Matsuri wasn't someone you could force to talk, "Anyway! Good news is good news. Let's just be happy about it, right?" Harumi gave Yuzu a thumbs up.

"You're right, Harumin." Yuzu stretched and straightened her spine. It's been a tiring day and Harumi just sent her mind into overdrive with the mention of the Udagawas. Still, every day that she spent at home was another day that Mei was left unprotected and within Udagawa Yasu's grasp.

"That's why you should be more careful with your decisions, Yuzu-chan." Matsuri commented out of the blue, which surprised both Harumi and Yuzu. They both knew what she was referring to, but somehow there was a feeling that she meant more than just that. "You never know who has to clean up after you and what they'd do for you." The pink-haired girl continued as she walked out of the room.

"Hey, Harumin. Did something happen at work?" Yuzu questioned with a bit of alarm. Something about Matsuri's words sent a chill down her spine and it felt like the girl was alluding to the fact that someone had gone through a lot of trouble for her sake.

"No, nothing happened since Kurosawa."

"You're not hiding anything-" Yuzu caught herself. It was pathetic to think that she almost questioned Harumi while knowing that she was the one with the most secrets.

The plum-haired girl, having understood Yuzu's incomplete question and without any hard feelings, simply smiled and answered, "Of course not, Yuzu-cchi. You know I'd even rip up my designer clothes for you, but I won't hide things." She then gave Yuzu a gentle pat on the back before continuing, "You should stop ignoring Matsuri though. I don't know how much more she can take."

"Sorry..."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Harumi smiled at Yuzu and tilted her head towards the door, urging the blonde to talk with Matsuri.

"Yeah, you're right." Yuzu nodded. As the distance between her and the door lessened, she could hear that Matsuri and Ume were discussing something. While eavesdropping wasn't on her agenda, something piqued her interest, 'If it's important enough for you to sulk about, you should tell her.' Her mother said. For what it's worth, that was the only thing she heard before the door swung open and hit her square in the face. "Ouch!" The blonde screamed as she fell on the floor.

"Yuzu-chan? Why are you standing in front of the door?" Matsuri looked at the fallen blonde, her hand still on the doorknob, "Were you eavesdropping?" She scoffed in disbelief.

"W-what?! Of course not!" Yuzu rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the pain. She then noticed that Matsuri was holding something in her hand, "What's that?"

"Oh, Ume-obasan found it behind the dictionaries in the bookshelf." The pink-haired girl offered a small notebook towards Yuzu, "She said it's probably yours."

The bookshelf in the living room had been there for as long as Yuzu could remember. The top and bottom shelves were full of books that no one ever used; dictionaries, a thesaurus and science books, all of which neither Ume nor Yuzu would ever touch.

Taking an interest in the small notebook, Yuzu took it and started inspecting the cover. The leather binding was a muted grey and looked like it had lived through all kinds of abuse, but she never saw this notebook before.

"Is that... your diary or something?" Matsuri teased with a grin on her face. "I wonder what sort of dark secrets you have in there, Yuzu-chan. I mean, to hide it and forget about it?" She continued harassing the blonde.

"It's not mine!" Yuzu abruptly stood up and held the notebook in front of Matsuri while pointing at it, "I've never seen this in my entire life!" She shouted in her defense.

"Well if it isn't yours and it isn't Ume-obasan's, then Kyou-ojisan's maybe?" Matsuri just shrugged, having lost all interest in any further teasing.

"I guess that's possible." The blonde looked at the notebook in her hand. A piece of memory left by her father... It would be a damn lie to say she wasn't curious. In fact, she was so intrigued that she immediately sat herself down, unwound the twine binding and started reading. Shifting through the pages, she realized that much like Matsuri suggested, it really was her father's property and not just a simple notebook at that; it was Kyou's detective notes, much like Yuzu's. The blonde giggled at knowing that she and her father shared the same passion for taking down notes.

Page after page was filled with cases that Kyou had gone on, everything from small-time robberies to helping foil a small-scale crime ring. Each case was so detailed that Yuzu could almost picture the locations written on them, how the crime scenes looked and what evidence was there.

"So, what's in it?" Harumi questioned as she peeked from behind Yuzu.

"It's Papa's case notebook." The blonde answered with a glimmer in her eyes that had been absent for the past few days.

Harumi noticed that Yuzu seemed to be enjoying herself with reading, so she decided to let the girl have some peace, "All right. We're done here. I'll go help Ume-obasan and Matsuri outside." The blonde closed the notebook and offered to help, but Harumi was adamant in letting her have some time to herself, "Nah, There's not a lot left. You should take a break." She urged the girl to rest.

Accepting her friend's kindness, Yuzu delved back into the pages of the notebook and buried herself in Kyou's adventures. Seems like her father was quite the character and a brilliant detective despite what he was known to be - a goofball. One of the cases was particularly intriguing to Yuzu, it seemed as though her father wasn't completely sure of what he had until much later on and checking the dates, she quickly came to a realization... it was his last. The one he died on.

The case seemed to date back a year before Kyou's death. The first mention was only a missing child report but as the pages went on, so did Kyou's obsession with it. He never found the child and throughout the notebook, more missing children were spoken of; sometimes they'd just be a small note on top of the page, other times there would be a full detailed report. What was common about all these though, is that they never found the children.

A sickening feeling made its home in the pits of the blonde's stomach as she kept reading. Page after page, she looked for clues and hints that Kyou had left in the notebook and eventually, she arrived at the last entry, 'It's been five days since the last one was taken. The chief wants more time but I can't wait anymore. If I don't do something... No, I'll get Yukimura Akihiko by force if I have to. It's a long shot, but XX building... that place is owned by the Udagawas. I wonder if they have anything to do with this.'

Yuzu broke in a cold sweat, the building where Kurosawa asked her to meet him was the same as the building mentioned in her father's notebook. The clothes she had found littered in the hidden room... they were small because they were children's clothing. And much more, the reason why her father tried to apprehend the criminal on his own... suddenly, it all made sense.

Unlocking her phone, she quickly went and scoured the call log history in search of a certain heiress' number and quickly found it. Yuzu bit her nail, she didn't know how she was going to get Himeko to do it, but she definitely wanted to talk to Yukimura Akihiko. The Udagawas had a connection to the man that killed her father, it couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Hello?"

"Momokino-san!" Yuzu greeted, nearly shouting on the speaker.

"Okogi Yuzu! Do you not have any manners? You're going to break my ear-"

"Momokino-san, sorry but I need your help" The blonde abruptly cut-off the chihuahua without hesitation.

"And why would I want to help you? Well?"

"Please, it's important. I just need access to a patient in your psychiatric hospital."

"You... what are you planning when-" There was a short pause, but Yuzu didn't hasten the conversation. She chose to simply wait for Himeko to speak again, "Okogi Yuzu, I'll listen to your request, but then you must listen to mine and you must. _MUST_. Swear that you will do something about it." There was something different with Himeko's tone. She was... serious and not in the usual way.

"All right. I'll do whatever you want, Momokino-san."

"What's the patient's name?"

"Yukimura Akihiko."

* * *

Notes:

If you're procrastinating and you know it, clap your hands. *claps furiously*

* * *

Yes, this is MeixYuzu.

Yes, I'm Doll Maker. Watch me murder everyone in this fic.

Udagawa is best grill.

Cheers everyone!


	57. Chapter 56: Of Monsters and Men

Screams and wails resounded through the empty halls of the asylum. White walls, white floors, and even white uniforms worn by the orderly. There wasn't a single thing about this place that didn't feel unsettling. Though unlike the Hollywood portrayal of madhouses, the Momokino's hospital was anything but filthy. The floors were polished and not a single spec of dust could be found anywhere. There was even a faint smell of pine-scented disinfectant which was wafting through the air.

It was extremely uncomfortable to know that there are criminally insane patients on the lower floor and that they were the ones screaming endlessly with vulgarities and the like. Surprisingly, despite the disturbance from the more dangerous patients, the floor that Yuzu was on seemed pretty quiet. Even peering through the rooms proved that to be the case, as the patients on this floor acted somewhat normal and would even smile as she passed.

"This way, Okogi-san." A rather tall and muscular orderly urged Yuzu to follow him all the way to the end of the corridor.

"Er-" Yuzu eyed the name tag on the orderly, "Ito-san, can you tell me a little about Yukimura-san?" She inquired, walking a little slower to increase the time it would take them to reach the appointed room.

"How should I put it?" Ito scratched the back of his neck, as if unsure of how to answer the question. "He's... mild-mannered." Yuzu almost choked at hearing those words. Mild-mannered? The man who killed her father in cold blood and without a second thought? "I mean, if it were up to me, he'd be out of here already. I don't think he belongs in here, you know?" He shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Clearly, Yuzu didn't agree with Ito's opinion and it was surely apparent on her face, but she willed herself to ask anyway.

"Well, why don't you go and see for yourself?" Ito answered as he stopped in front of a door. With an arm on his waist, the orderly cautioned Yuzu, "He's not really violent, like I said, well-mannered. But there were notes on his file that said he could be very intrusive."

"Thanks, Ito-san. I'll try to be careful and not upset him as well."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I've never seen Akihiko-san upset, ever." He smiled at her before continuing, "Also, the young miss said she'd be waiting for you at the lobby once you're done. She also said, "Don't take too long." And if you need anything, Okogi-san, please feel free to give a holler. I'll just be outside of the door."

Yuzu bowed thankfully towards Ito before asking him to open the door and stepping inside the stark white room filled with nothing but soft padding, a bed and a pair of chairs standing on the opposite sides of a small table. There were some books piled neatly on top of the table, one of which immediately caught Yuzu's attention, it looked familiar and she quickly realized that it was the same book Mei had taken out during Shiraho's visit to the apartment.

"Well, hello." A man's silvery voice greeted her, pulling the blonde's attention to the corner of the room which was partially hidden by the door, "I don't believe we've met, but you somehow... seem familiar." He added as he walked gracefully towards one of the chairs and sat down. His sky blue button up shirt and black slacks standing out against the room.

Shutting the door behind her, Yuzu took a good look at the man who took her father's life. His face was extremely gentle, sharp, but gentle nonetheless. She could even understand why his name was Akihiko... this man almost looked angelic.

"Hello, Yukimura-san." Yuzu greeted with a plastic smile on her face.

"There's no need to fake your smile, miss." He said in the same honeyed tone that was apparent since he first spoke. "Now, instead of these superficial expressions you're giving me, how about you take a seat, tell me your name and we can discuss why you're here." He gestured with an open palm, urging the blonde to sit in front of him.

Akihiko was nothing but a gentleman, his face, words, actions, and general demeanor was nothing but polite and yet Yuzu couldn't feel anything but hatred and disgust towards this man. It wasn't just her father, something about Akihiko felt off and she couldn't ignore it. Still, she accepted the invitation and sat on the offered chair.

With her palms clutching tightly on her knees and the cold creeping up on her extremities, she looked up at Akihiko and met his cold blue eyes. A tinge of discomfort washing over her as he observed every move she made. "Let's start over, Yukimura-san."

"Please, Akihiko will suffice. You're the first one to visit me in how many years. I would like to think that we have an inkling, would you not?" He tilted his head to the side and gave a warm smile. Yuzu knew that he was waiting for any confirmation from her, but the blonde decided that she didn't really want to be "close" to the person who killed her father, so she gave no reply. "And in any case, "Yukimura-san" traditionally, would be used for the head of the household. That would be my nephew now that I'm locked in here." He continued as if to explain the situation a little better.

"Okay, Akihiko-san. I'm Okogi Yuzu, a de-" Yuzu stammered and corrected herself, "An investigator looking into the case of the serial killer called Doll Maker. I was wondering if you'd be willing to answer a few questions?"

"Okogi? Ah! That's why you seemed familiar." It was slight, but something in the way that Akihiko carried himself had changed, "Are you related to that Okogi that was found dead some two decades ago?"

Yuzu bit her tongue. The blatant disrespect and lie that was being thrown at her didn't do much to help her boiling anger, but she reminded herself of why she was here and that was to protect Mei. "Yes, I'm his daughter." She answered truthfully.

"I see, I see. So, why are you coming to me for a recent serial killer? I'm sure you know I've been locked in here for a few years now, so there's no way I'm connected to it." He leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "And besides, wasn't that already solved?"

"Actually... I don't think it is and also I found this." Yuzu took the small grey notebook from her back pocket and held it up towards Akihiko, close enough that he'd be able to see it but far enough that he wouldn't be able to take it from her. She waited for Akihiko to give any sign that he had already read the contents in the pages she had shown him, and with a nod from the man, she pulled the notebook back.

"Akihiko-san, according to this, your family rented the building from the Udagawas. Do you have a history with them?" Yuzu took out her own notebook and started scribbling on it as she waited for Akihiko to answer the question, but the man didn't utter a word. Lifting her head and looking at his direction, she noticed the displeased expression that he had; his eyes didn't hold the same calmness to it either.

"Really? You're interested in the Udagawas and not your father's case?" His tone was icy and condescending, it was like he wasn't the same person as before.

"I-I have more important things to worry about right now and I already know that you killed him." Yuzu met his gaze head-on, her own eyes now showing the full extent of the hatred that she felt for the man. To her surprise, he didn't flinch and even smiled at seeing the contempt that the blonde harbored for him.

"And who told you that, little missy?" There was nothing but mockery in that question.

"I saw the surveillance tape and Aihara Sho confirmed it."

"Did he now? Hah! My brother-in-law, sorry... _ex_ -brother-in-law seems to have grown a bit of a backbone during the time I didn't see him. So, what did he tell you? I'm sure you're curious. Come on, I'll tell you everything you need to know." A sly grin replaced the previous smile that Akihiko had. It wasn't the same as the way Matsuri did it, no, his was chilling and it sent a shiver down Yuzu's spine.

"That you threatened his children."

"And what of the reason on why I was being arrested?"

"Illegal businesses."

"Is that all?!" Akihiko looked like he was genuinely curious and even a little bit shocked at Yuzu's answer, "What about the tape, where did you get it?"

"It was given to the police by an unknown party."

"Unknown party?" Akihiko gave a hearty laugh, "You mean Kurosawa, right? That piece of crap."

"Wait, you know Kurosawa-senpai?" Yuzu uttered without much thought and Akihiko was quick to correct her, "Senpai? So you're _not_ an investigator. You're a detective. Why the lie?"

"I'm currently suspended."

"That's a shame. But well, this means none of what I tell you here would do you much good, would it? Not that it matters, you already saw the tape and you didn't do anything about it. So either your hands are tied or you have no wish to pursue the case. Am I correct?"

Yuzu didn't answer. She just kept her head down and tried changing the subject, but Akihiko interjected and started questioning her a little more.

"Did you never think that it was weird for Sho to just tell you so willingly about everything? I bet he said something like I was going to make him as liable as I am, right? Do you want to know the truth?" He riddled the blonde with confusion and enticed her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aha! So he did say that. Hmm, I guess that's true. I did say that, but don't you think it's weird? To make him an accessory to a murder he had no hand in, even the surveillance footage would've been able to prove that. Quite easily if I had to say so myself."

It's true. To some extent, Yuzu thought about how there were ways around what Sho was struggling with. While she understood what Sho meant with how he explained things and how Akihiko had blackmailed him into doing what he did, there was very little reasoning or rather, very little substance behind the supposed weight of why he had to do it. For that reason, Yuzu was never able to completely forgive Sho because it didn't make much sense to her.

"You're not as sharp as your father, you know that?" Akihiko poured acid into old wounds. It was like what Ito said, this man is very invasive and uncaring at that. "I sold children for prostitution." He continued without missing a beat. What was more disturbing was that he had a genuine smile on his face, as if he was proud of what he did.

"So then, the missing children?"

"Yup, some of them sold to the highest bidder. Others, I kept for myself. It's as they say, the best businesses are the ones that you're interested in. Now, think about how damaged the Aihara reputation would be if word ever got out that Sho's wife is the sister of a pedophile who sold children like candies in a corner store? Of course, I'm not saying Sho didn't care about his children. He really loved my sister, you know? It was arranged but he loved her and she loved him."

Utterly revolting and completely disgusting, there was no other way to describe Akihiko. No matter how good looking this man might have been, his core was nothing but a putrid pile of tar. Yuzu would've beaten him senseless by now, but there were still things that she wanted to ask him and she grit her teeth for that purpose.

Trying to not get swayed by Akihiko's flow, Yuzu decided to steer away from the topic once again, "I see. But Akihiko-san, about the Udagawas, can you tell me a bit more about them? Did they have anything to do with your operation?"

Akihiko sighed loudly. "My operation was perfect. Kurosawa hid all of the evidence and luckily he was your father's partner, so I got information on him and everything went smoothly. The old fart even buried the evidence after I killed that persistent father of yours. Though it looks like he's been keeping them for future use instead of destroying them. What a sly fox."

"I'm sorry, I don't know why you're trying to rile me up but I have no interest in it. I just want to know about the Udagawas. That's all I'm here for. Please, answer the questions and I'll be on my way."

"I'll answer if you tell me why you're asking about it."

Yuzu looked at Akihiko and tried to gauge how serious he was with that demand. From the way he carried himself and what she knew about him, it was highly plausible that he meant every word of it and somehow, it seemed like he didn't particularly mind being locked up in here so promises of freedom were definitely off the bargaining table, even if it would be a lie.

"I suspect that someone from the Udagawa family is the real Doll Maker."

"Let me offer you some advice, Yuzu-chan. Monsters hide in plain sight because you never suspect them to be there. Humans tend to look too far below when they're searching for demons, but often times you don't need to look very far in order to find one."

"Like you, right?" Yuzu couldn't help but bite back for once and it felt so good to do it.

"Oh, my sweet summer child. You have no idea how much more sinister your killer is. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not completely insane, just a little... different. Yet I remain behind these walls because it's safe. I do fear for those out there though, my sister mostly." Akihiko's attention was completely on Yuzu, like he remembered something.

With a smirk plastered on his face, he continued speaking. "About that thing regarding the divorce. You know why they had separated even though they really did love each other?" Somehow Yuzu didn't want to hear what he was going to say, but she couldn't stop herself from listening intently, "Because I casually mentioned to my sister that Mei was looking more lovely each da-"

He wasn't able to finish what he was saying. Yuzu jumped over the table and pushed him on the floor, one hand clutching tightly at the collar of his shirt while the other was fully prepared to plummet his face into the ground. "Did you touch her?" She asked him, her voice low and leveled but seething with the hatred she could barely contain.

"That's a nice look, Yuzu-chan." He replied calmly, angering the blonde even more.

"I asked you if you touched her!" She pulled on his collar, lifting his head a little closer to hers.

"No, they divorced and my sister made sure I wouldn't have access to her but well..." There was a devilish smirk on Akihiko's face, one that Yuzu recognized as something only the most twisted people can make.

"What did you do?" She asked him nervously, unsure of what the man's expression meant and though he did try to tell her, the commotion she caused had sent Ito rushing into the room. Ito quickly pulled Yuzu off of Akihiko, effectively preventing the blonde from hearing what the older man had to say. Having no words to excuse herself with, Ito simply sighed and told Yuzu that she could no longer be allowed to stay in the room.

"Oh, Yuzu-chan. Just so you don't hate me too much, let me just tell you this. Mental illness doesn't run in our family."

"You're clearly insane." Yuzu spat back at him as Ito ushered her out of the room.

A full ten minutes went by and Yuzu found herself sitting alone inside an office. Just outside, she could see Himeko having a heated conversation with Ito, who presumably is telling the heiress about what had transpired inside Akihiko's room and how she assaulted the man. Of course, when the two finished talking and Himeko marched into the room with her temper out of check, Yuzu braced herself for the worst.

"Okogi Yuzu! How dare you cause problems in my family's business?!" The girl screamed at her and Yuzu didn't really have any excuses to dish out. She was clearly in the wrong, but if the chance ever presented itself again, she would do it and this time a punch would be hitting Akihiko's face. Still, she needed to offer an apology to Himeko. "Sorry." She offered the girl.

"You... Do you know nothing but get yourself into trouble?! Even M-" Himeko held her tongue and closed her eyes to calm herself. A few short seconds passed and she made her way towards the seat on the opposite of Yuzu. "I'll let this slide. Yukimura Akihiko does not seem like he's interested in pressing charges against you either... and there is another matter I wish to discuss with you."

"About the thing you wanted me to do?"

"Yes, that's correct." Himeko poised herself and inhaled sharply, "I want you to save Mei-Mei."

* * *

Notes:

Akihiko's name (明彦) means Bright Prince. Which is what Yuzu is referring to when she said she almost understood why he was named as such. Being a gentleman and all.

We can finally discuss the motivations behind Kyou's and Sho's actions. This is in relation to the questions that Tejot asked back in Chapter 34 or 35, I believe. Anyway, as you can see from Chapter 55, the majority of Chapter 56 and also parts of Chapter 49. Akihiko did more than just run shady businesses, he quite literally kidnapped children and sold them off to rich people and er- kept some for himself.

The building that Kurosawa asked Yuzu to meet him at is the same as the building mentioned in Kyou's notebook. Meaning the rooftop is actually the place where Kyou died and the clothing that Yuzu found in the 'hidden' room are children's clothing. Now, here in Chapter 56, Akihiko explains why Sho had more reason to ride along with him because if word ever got out, as Akihiko said, the Aiharas would be ruined. Who would want to enroll their children to a school that a pedophile is affiliated with? And Akihiko could easily turn the tides on Sho, his name would forever be associated with the shame of it all.

As mentioned in Chapter 55 too, Kyou was trying to protect a child that was taken and at this point, he's just broken up about not being able to save any of these children. So he made a decision to try his best and save the most recent one, even if it meant going against the higher-ups. Which is why he stupidly went ahead and cornered Akihiko, thinking he wouldn't be more than just a normal rich kid, but he was wrong... obviously.

Finally gonna get back to Mei. (Ｔ▽Ｔ)


	58. Chapter 57: Prisoner of an Open Cage

Yuzu rushed out through the entrance of the asylum and ran past the courtyard. She headed straight for the street and hailed a cab as fast as she could, unrelenting in the singular focus that painted and dripped all over her mind and heart - Mei.

Handing the address to the cab driver, she steadied herself and solemnly grazed her fingers across the reddened spot on her cheek. Seems like, despite Himeko's size, the girl could still pack a punch and it was exactly what Yuzu needed to snap out of the shadow she had seeped in for the last few days.

* * *

"I want you to save Mei-Mei."

Yuzu almost fell off of her chair, furiously blinking her eyes in disbelief. "Excuse me?" Surely, she heard that wrong. Of course, her first thoughts were if Mei had gotten herself kidnapped and a mixture of worry and panic started oozing from her very core. "Did something happen to Mei?!"

"No. At least, not yet." Himeko averted her eyes from the blonde, it was like she either didn't feel comfortable talking about this or she was unsure of how to go about it. "Mei-Mei decided to accept her grandfather's arrangement for her engagement. I want you to stop it from happening."

"I'm sorry, Momokino-san. I know I said I'd do anything you ask for, but I don't think I can do that." Yuzu felt a pang of guilt at refusing Himeko's request, but what could she do? "Mei was sure to let me know that she didn't want to be around me anymore, so... I don't think she'd appreciate that. This is something she chose for herself after all." She wallowed in self-pity as she remembered the raven-haired girl's words from when she left.

Himeko was always one for diplomacy and regardless of how angry she got, she never lifted a finger against anyone. Today was an exemption to that, her hand struck Yuzu across the face before she could even realize what she was doing and honestly, it felt good to slap some sense into the idiotic mess that was in front of her. "How dare you say such things? You don't even know what Mei-Mei's going through." Her thick brows furrowed and sat upon the eyes that were filled with disappointment.

Yuzu couldn't understand what was happening right now, not only did Himeko strike her without warning, the girl was also talking cryptically. "Look, Momokino-san. I don't know what you're saying but Mei practically told me to leave her alone, so I don't get what this is about."

"Okogi Yuzu, do you know the feeling of loving someone and giving up on them for their own happiness?" Himeko waited for a reply, but the blonde just stared at her - completely lost at what was happening. "That's right, someone from your background wouldn't understand, however, for people like me and Mei-Mei, our entire lives are planned out and carved around the tapestry of our family's future. Naturally, it shouldn't come as a surprise that we would have to give up on our personal interests when it comes to this matter. Both she and I knew this and we've long accepted it."

A dull pain started building up within Yuzu's chest. "I already know what you're getting at. Please, you don't have to say it." She begged Himeko, but the girl kept on.

"Oh? Do you?" Himeko turned her nose up at the blonde and for the first time, Yuzu felt small in comparison to the girl, "Do you know that Mei-Mei cried her eyes out when she found out about the engagement?"

"W-what?" Yuzu's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Exactly. The day I called you was the day she found out. I watched her cry all night long, I watched her sink into sadness she has never shown even when her family broke apart as her parents divorced. So really, Okogi Yuzu, what do you know?"

"I-I" Yuzu hung her head low, partly in shame. She spoke without knowing a single thing, but that doesn't change the fact that Mei made her choice "Still..."

"Still, what?" Himeko's tone grew more annoyed with every pathetic word that came out of Yuzu's mouth, "Do you even know who she's engaged to?"

"No." Yuzu answered dejectedly, her hands clutched tightly into the fabric of her jeans.

"Udagawa Yasu." Yuzu's head shot up at the mention of Udagawa's name. Her eyes bled with tears when she finally realized that the harsh words Mei had spoken that night, were truly gentle lies spoken with the best intentions. "You really are a stupid and useless delinquent, aren't you? Looks like you've only realized it now. That's right, she sold herself as a bargaining chip in order to buy your freedom."

Yuzu dropped down on her knees and started bawling, but Himeko wasn't going to have any of this. There wasn't time for it. "Get up, you good for nothing detective." She grabbed Yuzu by the shoulder of her shirt and urged the blonde to get up. Once Yuzu was finally on her feet, Himeko put her fist right in front of the blonde's face.

Himeko inhaled deeply. "She steeled herself to refuse the engagement and she was prepared to go through with that decision. To think there was a day when I'd see her choose a path for herself, even if it went against the wishes of the Aiharas... I immediately realized that you had a role to play in it, she fell in love with you. I was confused when I heard that she accepted the engagement and it wasn't until I heard of your blunders that I realized what transpired." Himeko lowered her hand at this point, but her expression was as fierce as ever.

"I love Mei-Mei in the same way you do, however... she needs _you_ , Okogi Yuzu. I said it before and I'll say it again - break her out of that shell."

At Aihara mansion, the girl who was in everyone's thoughts sat silently at the edge of her bed. The mobile phone she had received from Yuzu was still in her hand with a half typed message addressed to the blonde. Plenty a times she's tried to send a message, and each and every attempt ended up in the draft section. In the first place, what would she even say? "I miss you," "I want to see you," or the words she tried but was never able to verbalize. No, what right did she have to even think about sending any of this?

Mei sighed heavily. It was as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders, but nothing could compare to the pain that pricked, jabbed and slashed at her heart. Dropping the mobile phone on the bed, she rose and changed out of her casual clothes and into a more formal dress. The Udagawas would be visiting tonight, the first of many she'll be having until they finally sign the papers which would lock her fate as Mrs. Udagawa. Her mood sunk deeper at the thought, eyes narrowing in sadness.

Eventually, everything that she shared with Yuzu would be forgotten in memory. The time they spent together will be replaced with the man she was now engaged to, the kisses they shared and the dates they went on and would've gone to, all of it will be replaced - overlapped with memories of him. Her eyes burned as she traced a line on top of where Yuzu's ring previously sat, even that would soon be replaced by his ring.

A soft knock called Mei's attention, "Ojousama, the guests are waiting. Are you ready?" A maid questioned through the door.

"Yes." She answered, then made sure that there were no tears in her eyes before reaching for the doorknob.

 _Are you really okay with this?_ Yes. This was how it was supposed to go. If anything, Mei thought she was making exemplary use of the fate she was destined to walk. Yuzu had already given her a taste of happiness and with that much, she was already content.

 _You want to be with her, don't you?_ ... Someone like her who had nothing to give... they were better off this way. Like this, she could live with the comfort of knowing that she had repaid Yuzu for everything that the girl had offered her. Even if it meant staying apart. If promising herself to Udagawa meant that Yuzu could live her life happily then, by all means, she would cut her own wings and lock herself inside a cage. _But still, you want to be with her._

A commotion stirred from the lower floors. Servants flew from every direction, unsure on where they should actually go. Curiosity piqued her interest as she came closer to the end of the staircase and she made sure to ask the first person she got her hands on.

"Sorry, ojousama. We seem to have an intruder." The maid nervously answered.

Intrigue caught her and she darted her eyes across the lobby, but there were no unfamiliar faces. Then she heard it; the voice she had burned in her memory, the very voice that she had been wanting to hear, resounding through the house as it bellowed from within the dining room. "Where's Mei?!" it said. And at that moment, something gripped at Mei's heart.

 _Are you sure you're willing to go through with this?_ Yes. She's done it once, she can do it again. 'This is for the best.' She told herself. Echoing it over and over again, hoping that maybe the pain in her chest would disappear if the magic words were repeated enough. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself and buried her feelings deep within of her. This was her decision, she better damn go through with it.

With her barriers erected and her facade made, she opened the doors to the dining room and came face-to-face with the intruder. Mei was slightly taken aback. Yuzu's blonde hair was a mess, but the rest of her told a sadder story. There was a tug at her frozen heart, but she couldn't do this now or everything would've been for nothing. She had to do this for Yuzu.

"What are you doing here?" Mei's icy, authoritative tone came into play. Her brows furrowed in false anger.

"I came to get you, of course!" Yuzu shouted before running towards her and once she was within arms reach, the girl immediately attempted to grab her wrist, which Mei instinctively avoided.

"Don't touch me." Mei answered back, her voice sounded taut and for good reason. She couldn't afford to be touched by Yuzu now. She wouldn't allow it. The blonde's warmth will remind her of all the good memories, her feelings, the yearning she felt, and that...can _not_ be allowed to pass. "Why are you causing trouble for me?" She asked apprehensively in an attempt to deter Yuzu.

"What is this madness?!" The Aihara patriarch shouted from across the room, utterly enraged by the display. This wasn't good, Mei knew she had to finish this before the deal with the Udagawas fall apart.

"You can't do this, Mei!" Yuzu tried to latch onto Mei again, but she quickly dodged the attempt.

"What is _she_ doing here, Aihara-san?" The patriarch of the Udagawa family voiced his dissatisfaction.

"I apologize, Udagawa-san. I will have her removed immediately." The Aihara patriarch bowed in embarrassment, trying to appease his guests.

"Please, I'll deal with her. We just have something to discuss." Mei bowed apologetically at the people who were seated at the table.

"This isn't something for you to deal with, child." The Udagawa patriarch sneered at Mei, forcefully slamming his fork on the table as he did.

As anger and disappointment rained heavy in the dining room, one man sat quietly and watched everything play out. He keenly observed the situation and being the person that he was, decided to step in.

"Actually, Father. I was the one who called her here." Udagawa Yasu cut-in, "May we please have a few minutes?" He continued with a smile on his face.

* * *

Notes:

Mei needs saving from herself. Anti-climatic, but you know... appropriate.


	59. Chapter 58: My Heart That Yearns for You

Music recommendation: Kokoronashi - Hikaru (Acoustic ver.)

* * *

Mei stood at the far corner of the bedroom, her back turned to Yuzu. It wasn't hard to see the exasperation in the raven-haired girl's mood; with her arms crossed and her shoulders raised in defiance, she gave Yuzu the most intense silent treatment that she could muster. All of her efforts had fallen into shambles with just the blonde's appearance. The best she could do now was to try and salvage the situation, but for that to happen, she needed to get Yuzu off of her back.

"Mei, look at me." Yuzu urged her, but Mei kept her eyes fixed on the moon outside. "I would prefer it if you left and didn't meddle in my affairs." She coldly replied, however, like her, the blonde wasn't going to back down without a fight. Not when she finally knew how Mei truly felt about everything. "No, not until we talk properly."

"What is it that you want from me, Yuzu?" Mei sighed loudly, her agitation apparent in the action.

"I want you to cancel the engagement. It's not right, Mei!" Yuzu walked towards Mei, only to be halted as soon as the raven-haired girl heard her stepping forward, "Stop." She commanded, "stay where you are and don't come any closer."

The blonde complied, her eyes following the slight shiver in Mei's body as the girl gripped her fists tighter. "Just go, Yuzu. This is what I decided on and nothing you say or do will change my mind. You're not wanted here."

"That's enough, Mei!"

"Please!" Mei shouted almost pleadingly, "Just leave."

"Leave and what? Live my life happily knowing you gave yourself to make the Udagawas drop their case against me?" Mei swiftly turned around and met Yuzu's eyes as panic set in, "What are you talking abou-" She tried to play the blonde, but was quickly cut off, "Momokino-san told me. There's no point in lying." Mei never saw so much anger in Yuzu's eyes.

"How could you, Mei? Do you think I'll ever be able to live with myself if you went through with this?" Yuzu forcefully threw her hand in the air. If it wasn't for Himeko, she wouldn't have known about any of this and Mei would've gone on to marry Udagawa, of all people. She was disappointed, hurt and everything in between.

Mei clenched her jaw with nearly enough pressure that she thought it might shatter her teeth. It was a vain attempt to control her emotions that were seeping through the gaping cracks in her facade; an act that she perfected through the years, but never worked well with Yuzu. Still, she would try it over and over again if it meant deflecting the situation.

"You seem to be under the impression that I'm doing this for your sake. I've already said it before, I'm simply doing what is an eventuality, Yuzu. Don't get ahead of yourself." She said it with such precise words, ones explicitly chosen to wound the blonde's heart. She would be hated, swore upon and left, but that was fine.

"Is that really how you feel, Mei?" Yuzu's words caught Mei off guard. It was calm, solemn and a drop of pity permeated through the vibrations of each syllable. She looked directly into those emerald eyes as they gazed back, a somber expression painting over Yuzu's beautiful and tired face. "If that's how you really feel, then why do you look like you're about to cry?" She bit her lip. It was over. She failed to suppress the overwhelming sadness that corroded every fiber of her being.

"I- I-" Mei took a step back, afraid of what was to come next. This time, it was her turn to stutter, completely powerless against the girl who confronted her with the most honest of intentions. "I didn't. I couldn't." She muttered in distress. For the first time in her life, her mind was completely blank. The situation wasn't one she knew how to handle and she became lost as words left her mouth unwillingly. "You were going to lose everything and I-" She clutched tightly at her chest, knuckles whitening from the force.

"And you thought doing this was the best option? Who asked you to do this for me, huh?! Who gave you the right to make that decision, Mei?!" Yuzu screamed as she ran towards Mei and grabbed her shoulders. It was frustrating, way too frustrating. "I don't need you to save me!" She vented in fervent anger, gripping just a little tighter at Mei as she did. Tears poured from her eyes - a concoction of various emotions.

"What about you? You think I wanted you to save me?" Mei scoffed back, regaining a bit of her composure. "Who asked you to put yourself in danger time and time again for my sake?" She snapped at the barrage of words that Yuzu had been throwing at her and in retaliation, flung her arms between Yuzu's and forced the blonde to release her grip. "In the first place, you're the one who told me everything was fine. You kept ensuring me that nothing was wrong and even when I tried to ask you, you just-" A tear rolled down her cheek, then two.

"I was worried and there was nothing I could do. You had given me so much, but I couldn't give anything back to you. This was the only thing I could do for you and for that reason, I was prepared to have you hate me. To lose you." By this time, a dam just opened up in Mei's tear ducts and it seemed like the years of emotionless living had given her an ample amount of reserves to be cried.

Yuzu watched as everything that was Aihara Mei unraveled before her. Every thread and knot that had been keeping the raven-haired girl stitched together had become undone and the things that she hid so deep within her, just came flooding out all at once. At that moment, she realized that she was so wrong. Every choice she had made, was wrong.

Without a second thought, Yuzu wrapped her arms around Mei. "Let me go." The girl protested as she wriggled in an attempt to break free from Yuzu's embrace. "I'm sorry, Mei." Yuzu weakly uttered, holding tighter onto the girl and not wanting to let go.

She couldn't deny that her actions could be taken as self-sacrifice, maybe even too much of it, but there was no part of her that would've ever abandoned her happiness like this. She would've fought to be together with Mei until the latter no longer wanted her around.

Mei, on the other hand, was broken beyond belief. To sacrifice her own happiness, to sell her own freedom and willingly sit inside an open bird cage without making any attempt to leave. It was tragic and Yuzu hated herself. She didn't even know how deep the scars ran and yet she kept spouting words as if she had everything figured out. Ultimately, all she did was hurt Mei. "I'm sorry, Mei." She sniffled with her head buried into Mei's neck.

"If you're sorry, then let me do this." Mei sniffled, every bit as weak as her voice. "No." Yuzu quickly declined. "I'll never let you do this."

"This is cruel, Yuzu. Why won't you just let me go?" Mei fell on her knees, no longer able to keep the strength that had been supporting her until now. Her hands fell limp on each side of her body, unwilling to move. "Why won't you let me help you?" She cried in desperation.

Yuzu followed, her arms reaching out to Mei's head and pulling the girl back into her embrace. "Because I love you. How can I live with myself if I let you do this? I'll never be happy if you're not happy, Mei." Yuzu stated without a hint of hesitation. "I love you so much that I feel like I'll go crazy if I let you go like this. So I don't care, we'll run together if we have to. Somewhere far, just the two of us."

Mei buried her head into Yuzu's chest as she clutched tightly onto the blonde's back. It was completely over. Once she heard those words, there was no turning back. Yuzu's feelings, without the blonde's knowing, was just as cruel as it was kind. To Mei who had lived her life not knowing the affection of another person, it was too much and the overflowing affection that she was receiving, brought on a new surge of emotion she had never thought possible. Whatever self-control she had used to fence off her growing desires, were now completely shattered. In the end, she was human and because of that, she yearned for happiness.

With her eyes closed and her body blanketed by Yuzu's warmth, Mei gave up on everything. "Yuzu." She called the girl who seemed to have been sent down from heaven just for her sake.

"Hmm?" The blonde answered with a silent hum.

"Let me go." Mei requested calmly.

"But I just said, I would never let you go." Yuzu protested, hugging Mei a little tighter as she did.

"That's not what I meant," Mei sighed and forcefully pulled her head away from Yuzu's embrace, earning her a few whining comments from the blonde, "I just want to-" Mei took Yuzu's face into her hands, something she hasn't done on her own. Their eyes met like it did so many times before, however, it felt a little different for Mei. Maybe it was because she finally bared her soul and without anything to hide, without any worry, she was finally able to feel the burning of her heart which only beat for Yuzu.

"Uhm, Mei?" Yuzu called out, "What's wrong?" The blonde continued.

"Shut up, Yuzu." Mei spoke briefly and Yuzu thought that she may have seen it wrong, but for a split second, Mei had a smile on her face before their lips grazed lightly.

A loud thump erupted from Mei's chest as she hungrily devoured those lips that she had dreamed of and missed. Everything that was Yuzu stimulated Mei. Her shampoo that wafted through the air and overpowered Mei's sense of smell, the cherry-flavored chapstick that tasted every bit as sweet as the blonde's kiss, and the warmth that penetrated through the fabric of her shirt as Mei clutched at it; her cold hands coming in contact with the pleasant feeling that came from Yuzu as she pulled the girl down and pinned her to the floor.

Yuzu shuddered from the discomfort of having her back against the cold floor of Mei's bedroom, however, there wasn't enough time to ponder since Mei seemed to have lost all sense of control and continued planting ardent kisses on her lips. Mei had never kissed her with such passion before and the girl's newfound eagerness was causing Yuzu to abandon all reasoning.

Mei once again took Yuzu's face in her hands, her slender fingers delicately caressing the girl who had managed to break down every wall she had ever built.

Yuzu gazed up at the beautiful amethyst eyes that looked at her with such fondness. "Mei..." She called out to her, "I love you." She added. Mei didn't answer, but her eyes told much more than words ever could. She loved her too.

Leaving a trail of kisses on Yuzu's flushed cheeks, Mei made her way down and peppered the girl's jawline with equally chaste pecks of adoration. A simple act that made her feelings known as her hand proceeded to unbutton the top of Yuzu's shirt. "W-wait, Mei. We can't do this here." Yuzu protested as she felt the collar of her shirt pop open, however, Mei paid her no mind and continued leaving risque kisses down her neck.

"M-Mei." Yuzu protested once more when the button above her chest flung open and Mei left a bite on her collarbone.

Then suddenly it stopped.

"I know." She heard Mei's smug voice, "I just wanted this back." The girl flashed the back of her hand towards Yuzu, immediately causing the blonde to cry.

"Yuzu?" Mei stared wide-eyed at the blonde's reaction.

"I'm sorry." Yuzu apologized. "It's just that, you wore it yourself and I felt really happy." Mei reached out to the blonde and wiped away her tears.

Yuzu reciprocated by gripping at the hand on her cheek, her fingers lightly touching the amethyst studded ring which had returned to its place.

"Yuzu," Mei beckoned with a tone as sweet as honey.

"Yes, Mei?" The blonde answered in complete intoxication.

"Look at me." The raven-haired girl requested and Yuzu gladly obliged.

Mei stared intently at Yuzu, her eyes were soft and different from how she usually carried herself. It was a noticeable difference in demeanor and one that only served to increase Yuzu's heartbeat when Mei finally started speaking, "Yuzu, I lov-"

'Knock, knock, knock'

"Excuse me, Okogi-san, Aihara-san?" A man's voice sounded from the door, interrupting the words that Mei had held onto for so long... too long.

Yuzu giggled a little when she heard the disgruntled growl that emanated from Mei. Obviously, her lover wasn't keen on being interrupted.

"Yes, who is it?" Mei answered.

"It's Udagawa Yasu. I was wondering if Okogi-san and I could talk for a bit."

Mei looked at Yuzu and waited for the girl to confirm her own answer.

"I'll be out in a sec!" The blonde shouted before turning to face Mei. "I'm sorry, Mei. There's still something that I need to take care of. So... I'll wait to hear those words once all of this is over." She smiled warmly at Mei.

Mei nodded and replied, "I'll be waiting."

"You promise?"

"I promise. I won't go anywhere."

* * *

Notes:

AAAAAAAAAAAH. Yes, yes, yes. Nearing the finale now.

Originally, I was gonna have a more drawn out intimate moment between Mei and Yuzu... maybe explicit would be a better term, but anyway, I can't. Because you know, grandpapa, Udagawas, and everyone is kind of downstairs and arguing. That would be funny. Super funny.

* * *

Also, I'm just gonna take the time to apologize and say that The Doctor's Bride will continue being on hiatus until I finish this. I have had issues switching in between these two stories especially where the plot is involved. The Doctor's Bride tends to scramble my thought process and when I come back to this, I'm just plain lost.

It won't be long, around early next week. Caught in a Web will have 3-4 more chapters, 5 at most. And then I'll give all my attention to The Doctor's Bride. I do want to finish both of these before Citrus Plus comes out. Next month. DECEEEEMBEEEER!


End file.
